


The Dangers of Falling (in Love)

by Sourwolf_sterek32



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - farmers, Bartender Erica, Derek Angst, Derek Hale is Bad at Feelings, Derek Needs a Hug, Eventual Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Farmer Derek, Farmer Stiles Stilinski, Hale Family Feels, Hurt Derek, Hurt Stiles, M/M, No Werewolves, Past Kate Argent/Derek Hale, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Scared Derek, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Stilinski Family Feels, Tortured Derek, cattle mustering, farm hand Boyd, farm hand Parrish, farm hand Scott, farm life, horse riding, truck driver Isaac
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 09:11:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 33
Words: 120,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12723714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sourwolf_sterek32/pseuds/Sourwolf_sterek32
Summary: Stiles lives on his families cattle farm, 60km away from the small country town called Beacon Hills, with his father and their farm hands Scott, Boyd and ParrishDerek lives on the run, he's been doing it for five years. He drives the country side in his old beat up Toyota, doing farm and station work so he could earn enough money for fuel and food to stay alive. Never staying anywhere longer than a week, laying low and keeping his head down. That was his system. But that all fell to shit the moment he stepped foot on the Stilinski farm.(Completed!)- side note: I’m Australian so if there’s some strange sayings or wording in this fic I’m sorry -





	1. Chapter 1

Derek puts his ute into the next gear as he cruises down the dirt road heading anywhere but where he came from.

The old man at the petrol station knew his mother and recognised him as her oldest son. The man had given his condolences for what happened to his family and Derek nodded his thanks in return before getting the hell out of town. He originally planned to go to the towns local bar tonight in hope to find anyone with jobs he could do for a bit of cash. He was running low on money and knew he could only fill his Toyota up a few more times before he would be stranded. But after his insistent with the old man he was whiling to risk running out of fuel before reaching the town.

He pushes the clutch in as he changes gears again, glancing in his revision mirror and sighs realising nobody is following him. The last time someone had recognised him was nearly a year ago when his sister Laura was with him and within a day afterwards she was gone. So yes, right now he is really paranoid. He glances to his revision mirror again to find nothing but the dirt behind him. He knew he was over reacting, the old man seemed harmless, although he thought that about certain people before and look where that got him.

He shakes his head stopping himself from entering those memories and instead turns the radio up so the country songs can distract him from the thoughts.

The sun begins to set eight hours later, the cool night breeze flowing through his open window. He gazes at the horizon, taking in the scenery of the sunsetting behind tall paddocks of wheat and corn and whatever else is growing out this side of the country. He turns his attention to the right spying a few lonely brumbies in the open plains. His heart aches remembering his families farm where his sisters would try feed the wild horses. He smiles at the memory remembering Laura and Cora's squeal of excitement when one of the Brumbies took the apple. But then his mind jumps from Laura's happy squeal to hearing her dying scream. He tries focusing on the music through the radio, looking away from the wild horses and back to the road ahead of him. But all he could see was his sisters lifeless body fall to the ground in a pile of blood over and over again. He hits the breaks and grips the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white as he slowly counts to ten. The memory disappearing as he reaches ten and he lets out a deep breath that he didn't realise he was holding in.

After a few minutes he takes his foot off the breaks and continues driving, leaning his elbow on the open window as he takes a few deep breaths.

As the hours pass on he knows he needs to pull over soon to sleep if he wants to be up and driving again before sunrise. He passed what looked to be a large cattle farm about 40km back, so he decides to drive another 40km before he was happy with the distance between him and whoever lived on the farm before pulling over to the side of the road. Just like he always does he reverses the ute slightly behind a few trees in case a vehicle passes during the night. He pulls the keys out of the ignition placing them in the cup holder as he eats a few of his left over stale biscuits before calling it a night and sleeping on the back seats.

-

"Stiles!" His father shouts from hallway. "The truck will be here in an hour and I'm leaving for work in 10. Get your ass out of bed."

"I'm awake." Stiles mumbles and his dad rolls his eyes as he hears the familiar 'thump' as Stiles rolls out of bed.

*5 minutes later*

"You're 18 years old how long until you wake yourself up in the mornings?" His dad asks as Stiles hands him a cup of coffee taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"I told you I have an alarm, I was just busy last night searching the internet for a new slasher since none of us can fix our old one. The grass is getting a little bit too tall for my liking with this hot weather so we need a new one." Stiles responds glancing up to his dad across from him who was fixing his sheriffs badge.

"Alright fair enough, will you boys be alright loading the cattle onto the truck this morning? I can head to the station later if you want." The sheriff offers but Stiles shakes his head.

"We've done it a million times dad, we got it." Stiles says grabbing his hat and heading for the door. "See you tonight, don't be late Scott wants roast for tea."

"Is Scott cooking it?" The sheriff questions and Stiles laughs.

"God no, I want it to be eatable not burnt to a crisp." He responds as he chucks on his boots and walks out the door.

The sun was already scorching hot and it's only been up for an hour. Stiles wipes his forehead, sweat starting to form already. Summer has definitely come early, he thinks to himself as he climbs into his jeep and drives towards the cattle yards a few paddocks back from the house.  
The Stilinski farm originally belonged his grandfather and once he passed the ownership went to his dad. His dad never wanted to become a full time farmer, he loved the farm but he had his heart set on becoming the sheriff of the small town Beacon Hills which is exactly what he did. Stiles still doesn't know how he manages to be the sheriff and still run and manage the family farm, since his mother passed away he knows it's gotten harder for him, it's gotten harder for everyone. But now that he's old enough to run the farm himself with help from the farm hands his father only manages the books for the farm these days and leaves everything else for the boys.

"Good afternoon." Boyd shouts as Stiles pulls up next to Scott's ute near the cattle yards, spotting the farm hands leaning against the fence.

"Ha ha very funny, I know I slept in but c'mon it's not even 8am yet." Stiles argues climbing out the jeep.

"Yeah but you missed breakfast man, Parrish cooked eggs and bacon on the barbecue." Scott complains and Stiles rolls his eyes.

"Parrish does that nearly every morning, it's nothing special." Stiles shrugs and Parrish nods in agreement taking a drink from his water bottle.

"So how many heifers are we selling?" Scott asks and Stiles points to one of the cattle pens.

"Just those girls, we'll sell the rest when the prices go up again, at the moment it's pretty shitty." Stiles answers as the truck comes towards them.

"Well time to go to work." Boyd states putting his hat back on as he and Parrish jump the fence getting ready to move the cattle.

Stiles jogs over the ramp sliding the door open as Scott guides the truck back until its trailer was in line with it.

-

*3 hours earlier*

"C'mon don't do this!" Derek shouts as he turns the key in the ignition again but nothing happens. "Fuck sake." Derek swears hitting the steering wheel in frustration.

He climbs out his ute grabbing a torch from the passenger seat and lifts the bonnet up. The sky was slowly beginning to brighten up but not enough for him to be able to see in the engine of his ute.

"What the hell, there is nothing wrong..." Derek begins to say when his eyes land on a few wires and fuses that look to be eaten and teared apart. "Damn rats."

He goes to the back of his ute grabbing his small tool box, one of the only things he managed to save from his families farm.

After an hour of trying to fix the mess under the hood it was clear he was gonna need to buy a whole new timing belt. As good as he was at fixing machinery he couldn't fix a broken timing belt, let alone such an old one like this.

His old vehicle was bound to break down sooner or later but of course it happens when he doesn't know where the nearest town is. He remembers the farm about 80km backwards, that's a long walk and soon the sun will be up and he knows it will be a hot day. But he doesn't have any other choice, he could walk straight and hope to find a town but who knows how far away the next town is.

He shakes his head grabbing the keys out the ignition putting them in the pocket of his dirty worn out jeans. He leans over to the passenger side door and pulls out two folded up photographs and shoves them into the pocket of his threadbare flannel shirt. He knows his clothes are awful but he doesn't really care, it's all he's got and he isn't wasting his money on new clothes.

He shuts the door locking it afterwards and begins the long walk back towards the farm house. He just hopes the people there have a phone and good reception so he can call for a tow truck or even better if they have a tow truck and are whiling to help him.

-

"Morning." Stiles shouts jumping off the fence followed by Scott as Boyd and Parrish push the cattle into the truck.

"Morning guys, how much you got for me today?" Isaac asks climbing out the cab of the truck.

"Less than usual. Dad thinks it's best to wait for the beef prices to go up again." Stiles replies and Isaac nods taking his sunglasses off.

"How much jobs you got this week?" Scott asks looking at the curly haired boy, he was the same age as him and Stiles but his hair made him look much younger.

"The boss has me doing a few runs north to pick up a couple truck loads of goats but that's about it for this week." Isaac responds as the familiar sound of the trailer door shutting fills the air.

"Lahey." Boyd greets with a nod as he and Parrish climb over the fence to the three men.

"Good morning fellas." Isaac replies, "the truck all set to go?"

"What? You leaving already?" Parrish asks and Isaac nods.

"The boss gave me a deadline and I have already pissed him off this week. I kinda like this job, I don't want to lose it." Isaac responds.

"Your boss is the nicest bloke! What could you have possibly done to piss him off?" Stiles questions, yeah his boss can seem harsh but Chris Argent is a real softie at heart, he runs the largest transporting company in the area. Stiles family has been hiring Chris' trucks for their livestock for years. Isaac was given the job when nobody else in town wanted to hire the skinny young teenager a few years ago. Just like how his dad gave Boyd the job on the farm, Stiles and Scott went to school with him so they knew he was a good person. Parrish however, use to be one of his fathers deputies before his father offered him a job as a farm hand. Scott, well Scott and his mother lived in Beacon Hills, she's a nurse at the hospital there but Scott and Stiles are like brothers. He grew up on the farm as much as Stiles did as there mothers use to be best friends, he knows nearly as much as Stiles does too about the farm so when he turned 18 the sheriff offered him a job and he took it without hesitation. His mother still lives in town but he lives in the cottage behind the farm house shared with Boyd and Parrish. The Stilinski farm never use to have farm hands or any extra workers other than family but since the passing of his grandfather and his mother years ago they needed help to keep the farm running. Now the five of them are like family, even Isaac who they see weekly in the truck.

"Wait!" Boyd says with a grin and Stiles knows this is gonna be bad. "You slept with his daughter didn't you? That's why he's pissed at you?"

"What?" Scott quickly asks as Stiles cracks up laughing with Boyd and Parrish.

"Relax McCall, I know you and Allison are secretly dating. But next time you are sneaking out her bedroom in the middle of the night don't park your ute so close to the house! He saw you drive off and thought it was me because we both have red Toyotas!"

"Shit, no wonder he's pissed at you!" Stiles laughs and Scott looks down at his boots, cheeks flushed with a guilty look on his face.

"Don't look so bad Scott, at least one of us guys are getting laid." Parrish comments and Scott grins.

"Anyway I'll catch you guys later. Oh and Stiles I saw a man just walking the side of the road, no bag on or anything just walking. Just thought I'd let you know, last time someone was walking around here they tried to steal your tv."

"Thanks, I will keep an eye out." Stiles replies as Isaac climbs into the truck.

"It's way to hot for someone to just be walking along the road, are they trying to get themselves killed?" Boyd questions and Stiles shrugs his shoulders, it's not his problem unless they come onto the property and try take stuff.


	2. Chapter 2

He's been walking for hours, the sun now right above him but he can see the large farm on the horizon. 

Sweat drips down his body with his tank top and flannel basically sticking to his skin. His water bottle empty and tossed in a bush hours ago, he knows he needs to stop and rest, he's getting too hot and too dehydrated but he keeps walking. Only one large truck has passed him so that's either a good thing or a bad thing. 

Another hour passes as he finally reaches the entry to the farm. He walks over the cattle grids on the ground and begins walking up the long dirt driveway. It leads to what looks to be the main farm house but it was hard to tell so far away and with the trees around the house. Derek has worked at enough farms over the years to know what to look for so he's pretty sure he's heading in the right direction. 

He keeps his head down while walking trying to focus on each step, his body was beginning to slow down. His head feels like it was spinning and he was sweating too much even though it was extremely hot. He knows what all these symptoms are hinting but he ignores it, he just needs to call a tow truck and find the next town, then he can work out what to do. 

Too caught up in his own thoughts he barely notices the truck coming down the drive way towards him. He gets off the dirt driveway still walking towards the house as he eyes the truck recognising it as the one that passed him on the road. He keeps his head down as the truck passes and keeps walking. 

-

Stiles opens the door to one of the barns letting the horses out into the pasture paddock for the afternoon. He jumps the wire fence and begins cleaning the dirty water trough. This paddock hasn't been used all year so he thought it was a good idea to let the horses out to chew down the grass since their slasher is out of action. 

He wipes his forehead with his flannel sleeve when his phone begins to ring. Putting the washing broom down as he wipes his hands on his jeans before answering his phone. 

"Hey Lahey, did you forget the paper work again?" Stiles says into the phone. 

"You forget the paper work once and everyone gives you shit for it." Isaac mutters on the end of the line causing Stiles to laugh. "I rang because remember the guy I saw walking on the road? He was walking up your driveway. Are you expecting anyone?" 

"No." Stiles responds because he honestly doesn't know what else to say, they live in the middle of no where so this guy must be up to no good. "What did he look like and was he armed?"

"It was hard to tell through his dirty clothes, his skin was dirty like he's been working but he had a hat on so I couldn't see his face. He wasn't armed at least not holding any weapons." Isaac answers.

"Alright thanks Isaac, I'll go deal with him." Stiles says into the phone as he hangs up. 

"Fucking trespasses." Stiles mutters as he pulls up Scotts number. 

"Hey Scotty are you and Boyd still by the cattle yards?" He asks.

"Yeah just finishing off the cleaning, what's up?" 

"Tell Boyd to finish cleaning the trough out in the north-west pasture paddock, the horses are in it he can't miss it. Meet me at the farm house now Scott." Stiles instructs before hanging up. He knew Scott would be able to tell the seriousness in his voice and not screw around. 

He pulls up the house in his jeep and signals for Scott to get in. His dad has dealt with trespasses before and Stiles has seen him do it once when the man tried stealing their tv, so he knows what to do but he'd rather have Scott there for back up in case things go sideways. 

"What's the problem?" Scott asks climbing in the passenger seat.

"Isaac called. There's a guy walking up the driveway." Stiles says putting the jeep into gear and heading towards the driveway. 

"Should we call your dad?" Scott asks and he shakes his head.

"We're adults Scott we can deal with this man." Stiles answers as they turn onto the drive way and can clearly see the guy 100 metres away. 

Stiles drives another 80 metres before parking the jeep blocking the drive way and nodding to Scott to get out the car as he grabs the shotgun he keeps behind the back seat. 

"Who are you and what do you want?" Stiles shouts aiming the shotgun at the man who only just looks up not even noticing they were there. The guy was in dirty threadbare jeans and flannel, his face a mixture of dirt and stubble. Stiles guesses he is in his thirties, the guy seemed slightly taller than him and definitely outweighed him in muscle which he can see even under the long sleeve flannel. 

"What are you doing on my property?" Stiles asks again and the guy raises his hands in an effort to show he wasn't a threat but Stiles knew better than to lower his weapon and takes a few steps closer. 

"My ute broke down." The guy says in a rough voice.

"Stiles, he doesn't look too good." Scott whispers from behind him and he was right. Even Stiles could see the paleness under his dirty face and the sweat dripping down his forehead. 

"Are you okay?" Stiles asks his voice a lot less harsh and half worried. The guy tries to nod and then turns around and begins to throw up. "Fuck." Stiles mutters handing the shotgun to Scott as he walks over the man. 

"Come with us, you look like you could use a glass of water." Stiles says as he reaches the mans side just in time as the stranger nearly falls over. "Shit, Scott a little help." He shouts as he pulls the mans arm over his shoulder to keep him standing up. 

Scott quickly puts the gun back in the jeep before putting the mans other arm over his shoulder as he helps Stiles move him into the back of the jeep. 

"I think he's getting hyperthermia." Stiles comments as he drives the jeep back towards the house. "Call my dad."

-

"Stiles?!" His dads voice shouts through the house and he sighs with relief. 

"In my room!" Stiles shouts turning back to the man lying on his bed unconscious. He looks a lot younger now that he's getting a closer look at him and his face isn't frowning when he's unconscious which makes him look a lot better. He only seems a few years older than him and has clearly had it rough. His dirty arms and face, his clothes thin with rips through them and his boots look 5 years past their used by date. 

"What happened?" The sheriff suddenly asks appearing over Stiles' shoulder who was standing next to the bed where the stranger was lying.

"Like Scott said on the phone he was just walking up our driveway, said something about his car being broken." Stiles answers as Scott enters the room with a portable fan, plugging it into the wall and facing it towards the man. 

"He threw up for a while and then passed out on us in the jeep. I think he's getting hyperthermia." Stiles continues.

"Mum said that if someone ever gets hyperthermia you need to cool their body temperature down, so that's what we've been doing with ice packs and fans." Scott adds and Stiles nods turning back to the unconscious man. 

"We should take him to the hospital." The sheriff says but both boys shake their heads.

"He told us not to go to the hospital, he kept saying he was fine and no hospital. I promised him I won't take him there." Stiles replies. "He doesn't have any ID on him either, no wallet, no phone, nothing but car keys and a little bit of cash." 

"Alright no hospitals, if he's not awake before tea though that's exactly where we are taking him." The sheriff says, "I won't have a young man die. When he wakes up give him food and water, call me when he wakes up I'll be in the living room."

Stiles nods then looks back at the man. "I can stay here and look after him, you should probably get back to helping Boyd clean the cattle yards, I'll let you know if anything changes."

"You sure?" Scott asks and Stiles nods. 

"Yeah of course." Stiles replies and Scott nods walking out the room. 

Where did this guy even come from? Stiles has never seen him before and the nearest town other than Beacon Hills is over a days drive away. Maybe he's hitch hiker? No, he said his car broke down so he has a vehicle but why does he look... well homeless. Stiles has seen homeless people in the streets of Beacon Hills so he knows what they look like and this man is ticking all the boxes. He's also ticking all the boxes for a murder as well, no ID, no phone to track him down, good looks to lour people in before he kills them. Okay maybe he's over thinking the situation just slightly, but what else is he gonna do? He'll go crazy sitting still if he doesn't do something and this guy is the most interesting and mysterious thing that has happened to the farm for years! 

"You better not turn out to be a murder because my family is helping you." Stiles mutters then his eyes catch an indent in the mans flannel pocket. He leans over and opens the guys pocket to find two folder small pieces of paper. Maybe this is his identification? Stiles thinks to himself as he opens the first piece of paper to discover that it is a small photograph. Why does this guy carry around two small photos? He unfolds the second piece and stares at the two images in front of him. One was house, it was clearly a farm house and he could see a motorbike parked under the veranda of it, Stiles finds himself smiling at the photo realising this must be the guys house and that he's from a farm too. Then he glances at the second picture, it was a photo of a young woman in her twenties if Stiles was to guess, with long brown hair and a confident smile leaning against an old Toyota. His first thought was that she is this guys girlfriend but the more he looks at her the more she resembled the guy lying on his bed, she must be his sister. 

Stiles shakes his head folding the photos and putting them back in the guys pocket suddenly feeling guilty for digging into this guys privacy. 

*1 hour later*

"Yeah Isaac everything's fine, the guys car just broke down he isn't trying to steal anything." Stiles says into his phone when he notices the mans body start to stir a little. "Sorry Isaac I gotta go." He quickly says ending the call walking back towards his bed.

"Hey, are you awake?" Stiles asks carefully when the guys eyes suddenly fly open in panic. "Hey hey it's okay, your fine." Stiles says softly but that only makes the guy freak out more. 

"Where am I? Who are you?" He shouts in a crokey voice as he quickly stands up. 

"Hey take it easy you were out cold a minute ago." Stiles says gently placing his hand on the guys shoulder but clearly that was the wrong thing to do as he gets slammed into the nearest wall, knocking the wind out of him. 

"Who are you? What do you want?" Derek shouts his voice both angry yet scared as he grips Stiles collar pinning him against the wall. "Are you one of hers?!" He shouts. One of who's? Stiles thinks to himself when the familiar sound of a guns safety clicking off catches his ear. 

"I suggest you back away son and let go of the boy." The sheriff says sternly holding his rifle at the strangers head. "We aren't here to hurt you, your car broke down and we are trying to help you." 

Derek suddenly lets go of Stiles taking a few steps backwards as he remembers the boy and another helping him into their jeep. They were trying to help him and he freaked out and nearly hurt the kid. Kate's not here, she wasn't trying to kill him, these people were just trying to help him. He takes a few deep breaths and then looks up at the two men standing in front of them only just noticing the older one has a sheriffs uniform on.

"I'm sorry." Derek mutters taking another step back not knowing what to do.

The sheriff nods putting the rifle away, "what's your name young man?" 

"Derek." He answers, eyes flicking between the two guys as he fights every urge to not run away, these people are the only ones who can help him. 

"Alright Derek, I'm sheriff Stilinski and this is my son Stiles. We aren't going to hurt you, you came to my farm because your car broke down correct?" The sheriff asks and Derek nods not sure where he was going with this. 

"How far away is your car roughly?" He asks.

"About 80kms south." Derek replies.

"You walked 80km in this heat?!" Stiles suddenly questions and Derek glances at him with a unreadable face before turning back to the sheriff who sighs.

"Alright first thing tomorrow we'll help you get your car back and maybe be able to fix it for you if we can. It's getting late so it's better off to do it tomorrow." The sheriff says and Stiles stares at him in confusion. If we are leaving it until tomorrow that means this guy... Derek will need to stay here for the night. How do we know he isn't gonna try steal anything and make a runner?

"You can't fix it, the timing belt is broken, rats have chewed wires and fuses, I tried fixing it myself but it needs a new timing belt." Derek responds casually and Stiles raises his eye brows impressed the guy knows a fair bit about cars. If that's not attractive then he doesn't know what is.

"Alright I will take your word for it, but for now I'll show you where you can stay. Stiles grab some new blankets and a pillow." His dad says as he leads Derek out the room. 

They walk out the house and head across the drive way towards a small old hut, it was clear nobody has lived in it for years but Derek wasn't gonna complain. It's a lot better than the back of his ute. The sheriff opens the door with a solid push and they walk in. 

"I know it's not much, the door is half broken but it's got a working shower, washing machine, toilet and a bed. We'll let you get cleaned up, we're having roast for tea at 6, you're welcome to come over to the house and eat with us." The sheriff says walking off and Derek nods his thanks.

"Umm here." Stiles says feeling awkward as Derek stares at him. "Towel, blanket, pillow and soap. If you need anything you know where I live." Stiles jokes walking out the house feeling Derek's eyes watching him as he leaves. 

\- 

He gets out the shower feeling a whole lot better as he puts his dirty clothes back on and sits on the end of the bed staring at the floor. He wasn't going to join the sheriff and his son for tea, he knew that meant talking and that's something he doesn't do very well. He was starving but it wasn't worth having to talk and answer questions that sheriff will no doubt ask. 

So instead he grabs a glass of water from the small kitchen space and sits back on the bed trying to plan what to do next. 

*later that night* 

"Hey Derek?" A voice calls as someone knocks on the door and he didn't even need to open it to know who the over happy voice belonged to. He stands up and opens the door to find Stiles standing there holding a container with a smile. "You didn't come for tea so dad got me to bring this over for you." He explains holding the container out but Derek just stares at it likes it's a foreign object. "Dude it's not poison or anything, I cooked it and it's amazing." 

Derek grabs the container against his better judgement causing Stiles to smile but he doesn't leave. Derek walks back into hut sitting down on the edge of the bed and starts eating the meat and roast potatoes as Stiles still stands by the door watching him. 

"It's good isn't it?" Stiles asks and as much as Derek hates to admit it the food tastes amazing but he's not 100% sure whether it's because it's actually really good or because he was just really hungry. 

"It's alright." Derek replies as he continues to eat and he saw Stiles grin out the corner of his eye. 

"That's probably as close to a compliment as I will get from you so I will take it." Stiles replies as Derek finishes the food. "Dude, you ate that quickly! When was the last time you had a proper meal like that?" Stiles questions without even thinking and Derek glares at him from the edge of the bed. "Sorry you don't have to answer that, I don't really have a brain to mouth filter as my dad calls it."

"Noticed." Derek comments looking away from the boy. 

"Where are you from?" Stiles suddenly asks leaning against the door frame. 

"North." Was all he says, he couldn't say 'from a farm up north that got burnt to the ground and I now live on the run from the people who did it' even if he wanted to say it he couldn't. He couldn't think of those memories and by telling Stiles it would put him in danger if those people ever came here to look for him. 

"You know you're allowed to say more than a one syllable answer right?" Stiles questions and Derek glares at him causing Stiles to laugh. 

"Right chatter box, I will get you to talk more give me time." Stiles comments. I doubt it, Derek thinks to himself. "Okay I can tell when I'm not welcome, you aren't a real fan of other people are you? Doesn't matter I won't judge, I will be over in the morning and you are having breakfast with my dad and I. I could invite the farm hands but I figure you probably don't want more strangers trying to talk to you." 

Derek nods in agreement and Stiles smiles happy with himself as he walks out the hut shouting "goodnight" as he walks back towards the house.


	3. Chapter 3

Derek doesn't sleep much that night. When he does his dreams are full of fire, smoke and bullets. Instead he sits outside on the railing out the front of the hut. It's a warm night and there isn't a cloud in the sky to cover the shining stars. He notices a light turned on in the main farm house and recognises the window as Stiles' bedroom. He wonders why the boy is awake at such an hour, although he is awake right now too so he shouldn't judge. 

As the sun begins rise he's already managed to fix the broken door on the hut with the few tools he could find in the next to empty draws. He was nearly finished turning the last screw when he hears voices chatting in the distance. He looks over towards the house to find three young men walking from what looks to be some sort of cottage behind the main house. He recognises one of the boys as Scott, he thinks his name was, who helped him yesterday but the other two he'd never seen before. They were all wearing jeans and flannel with their cowboy boots and hats, they must be the farm hands Stiles was talking about. He watches them curiously, Scott glances over towards the hut a few times obviously knowing he was there but the others just carried about laughing and talking to each other. 

"He's awake! Good." Stiles says and Derek turns towards the voice spotting Stiles walking up to the hut. 

Derek grunts in response putting the screwdriver down on the floor. "Wait did you fix that door?" Stiles asked with a shocked expression and Derek nods suddenly worried that he shouldn't have touched the door. "Man my dad is gonna love you." Stiles responds and Derek stares at him, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. 

"Are they the farm hands?" Derek asks nodding towards the group of men.

"Yeah, that's Scott getting into the passenger side of the white ute, he's basically a brother to me, the one by the drivers side is Boyd. We went to school together and now he lives and works here. The other guy is Parrish, he use to work with my dad at the station but now works and lives on the farm. They're good guys, they can get annoying and push your buttons sometimes but they're hard workers and good people." Stiles explains and Derek nods wondering if Stiles has any siblings he hasn't seen yet and wonders where his mother is, he hasn't seen any women on the farm either. Maybe the sheriff got a divorce, or maybe she's where his mother is too. Derek thinks to himself as he looks up at the sky. 

"Ready for breakfast? I make a mean omelette." Stiles says snapping Derek out his thoughts and he nods following the boy towards the house. 

They take their boots off at the door and Derek notices Stiles staring at his feet. It takes him a moment to realise it's because his socks are dirty and have holes in them but there's nothing he can do about that. Stiles quickly looks away opening the front door and leading him into the kitchen. 

"Good morning Derek." The sheriff says as he pours himself a cup of coffee. He notices the sheriff isn't in his work uniform, he's wearing jeans and flannel which seems to be the trend for everyone around here. 

"Morning." Derek replies awkwardly as Stiles starts grabbing eggs out of the fridge. 

"Take a seat son." The sheriff says nodding to the chair opposite him. "How'd you sleep?" 

"Alright." Derek answers sitting down on the wooden chair. He knew this morning was going be interesting, the sheriff would want to know about him and would ask questions and he knew it was about to start.

"Derek fixed the door on the hut!" Stiles pipes up as he leans over the stove cooking something Derek can't see. 

"He did?" The sheriff asks looking over at Derek waiting for an answer and he nods not sure what else to do. "How?" 

"I found tools in the hut, sorry I should have asked first." Derek says and the sheriff shakes his head. 

"Don't. I've had that door on my list of jobs for years just nobody's ever gotten around to it. Too many other jobs that take priority." The sheriff replies and Derek nods understanding. There's always something to do on the farm, always a fence to patch up, livestock to move, machinery to fix, wood to chop or really anything, there's always jobs to do. 

"So you're good with tools and know about cars, that's all I've managed to work out. How old are you?" The sheriff asks curiously.

"24." Derek answers looking over at the man who nods. 

"What do you do for a living Derek?" The sheriff asks and it takes him a while to work out his answer before sticking with his usual.

"I work on farms or really anywhere I can get odd jobs, people who need stuff fixed whether is vehicles, fences, sheds, I do whatever. As long as I get paid at the end of the day I don't care." Derek answers half truthfully and the sheriff seems to accept that answer and nods as Stiles serves up breakfast. 

They eat in silence which Derek is grateful for, Stiles and the sheriff occasionally talking about random stuff but Derek doesn't join the conversation. They finish eating and the sheriff clears the table. 

"Ready to go get your car? We'll take our tow truck in case we can't get it started." The sheriff says and Derek nods as he and Stiles both stand up. 

"Stiles, don't even think about it." The sheriff says glancing a look at the younger boy. 

"But dad!" Stiles tries to say but gets cut off.

"No buts Stiles, you stay here." His dad says as he walks out the door followed by Derek. 

Stiles stands in the kitchen for a few minutes until he hears the tow truck leaving the yard before he heads outside. He feels sorta sad that he might not see Derek again if his car manages to start. The guy was quiet and seemed to always be glaring at him but there was just something about him that Stiles liked. He shakes his head walking to towards the horse stables thinking a nice morning ride will make him forget about Derek. He spots Boyd by the old piggery trying to fix something in it and he can hear the tractor in the distance which must be either Parrish or Scott out spraying the weeds in one of the pasture paddocks. He glances back towards Boyd who spots him and gives him a wave as Stiles heads towards the stables.

-

They drive in silence for the first 20km but Derek knew it wouldn't last the whole trip. He just hoped his ute would somehow magically start, but he knew it wouldn't not without a new timing belt anyway. 

He stares out the window taking in the scenery, enjoying looking at it without having to concentrate on the road.

"Can I ask you a question Derek?" The sheriff suddenly says breaking the silence. 

"Depends what it is." Derek answers carefully not liking where this conversation is going already.

"What's your last name?" He asks and Derek's heart suddenly starts to beat faster. He looks down at his lap not sure what to say, he could easily make up a random name but he doesn't want to lie either.

"Hale. Derek Hale." He answers, he knows the sheriff wouldn't know of his family but now the sheriff knows his last name it's a simple google search and he would find out a lot about him that he's been trying to hide. 

"Thought so." The sheriff replies and Derek quickly turns to him with a shocked and panicked look on his face. "Relax, I'm the sheriff, there's no way I'm letting some stranger sleep on my farm without knowing at least some of their background and who they are." 

Derek looks away not wanting to hear what the sheriff has to say next, not wanting to hear the 'don't come back to my property' 'I don't want you anywhere near my family' 'you're nothing but trouble' he knows what's coming and he just hopes the sheriff will at least drop him off at his ute before driving away and never coming back. 

"I know about the fire and what happened to your family, I know you have been on the run for over 5 years and I know what happened to your older sister, the internet can be very useful." He explains and Derek closes his eyes trying not to think about the memories. "You've had it rough kid and as far as I can tell you're a good man. I know you have been living in your car and don't have anywhere to go and don't have a job." 

"Is there a point to this?" Derek asks harshly and the sheriff gives him an apologetic look and nods.

"Yes, my point is that I can offer you a place to live and a job if you're whiling to take it. You seem to be good at fixing things and good with machinery, it's long hours on the farm but I guess you already know that. It's not the worlds best pay either but it's all I can afford to offer." The sheriff says and Derek turns to the older man unable to tell if he was being serious. Nobody has ever offered so much to him, nobody ever cares about his wellbeing at least not since Laura died. 

"I can't." Derek says shaking his head. "It's too dangerous for you guys if the people who killed my family are still after me." 

"Those people would never think to look for you at a random cattle station in the middle of no where. Trust me, I wouldn't be offering this if there was even a chance that I would be putting Stiles in danger. You would be safe and if one day you decide you don't want to be here anymore, there is nothing holding you here and you can leave if you wish." The sheriff says. 

"Trust me you don't want me around." Derek says as he turns to the window again. 

"I ain't gonna force you son, but it would be great to have you working on the farm, there's plenty of work. Give it a think at least." The sheriff says and Derek nods. He wants to say yes and agree to it straight away but he knows the danger he is putting the sheriff and his family in if he stays there. He also knows the risks of getting too close to people, the last person he ever loved and trusted was killed right in front of him. He won't make that mistake again, of letting someone too close to him. It's better off that way. 

"Does Stiles know about me?" Derek asks and the sheriff shakes his head. 

"It's your life, I figured it should be up to you whether you share that with anyone. Stiles doesn't even know your last name." He answers and Derek nods his thanks, grateful that Stiles doesn't know.

They drive in silence for the rest of the drive until Derek tells the sheriff to slow down a bit. He scans the side of the road until he spots the familiar tree and then spots the front of his ute behind it. He points towards the tree and the sheriff pulls over next to it just as Derek gets a better look at his ute and his jaw drops. The windows are smashes, tyres slashed, bonnet ripped off and what looks to be crowbar dents all down the side of it. 

"Fucking teenagers." Derek mutters under his breath as he gets out the truck. He knows stupid teenage wreckage when he sees it and this is definitely that. "Just great!" 

He hears the sheriff come up behind him and they both stare at the damaged ute. 

"Do you want me to call this in? I doubt they'll be able to find the kids responsible but it's worth a shot if you want?" The sheriff finally asks but Derek shakes his head.

"Don't bother." Derek replies shaking his head. He's going to regret this but what else is he gonna do? "Is that offer you said earlier still up for grabs?" He asks turning to the sheriff who nods with a pleasing smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Parrish finishes cooking the barbecue as he and Boyd bring the meat inside while Scott and Stiles set the table. 

"So whats going on with this Derek dude?" Parrish asks as they all take a seat at the kitchen table in the main house for lunch like they do every day. 

"Dads driving him to his car and if they can't get it started they'll tow it back here and call a proper tow truck to take it into Beacon Hills to get fixed." Stiles explains. "He fixed the door on the hut too so forget that job off the to do list."

"Damn maybe we should keep this bloke if he's good at fixing things. This whole farm is full of broken shit." Scott comments taking a bite of his steak.

"Can't argue with that." Parrish says and Stiles nods but if he was being honest he's glad Derek isn't working here, if he was he would get no work done. The man is built like a demigod and man Stiles would embarrass himself badly with the dumb shit he does and says each day. 

 

After lunch they all sit around the table talking for another 10 or so minutes when the front door opens. 

"And here are all my lazy workers." The sheriff says walking into the kitchen and Stiles eyes go wide when he sees Derek walk in behind him. 

"Guys, this is Derek, Derek that's Scott, Boyd and Parrish." The sheriff introduces and they all nod at Derek who nods in acknowledgment back. "Everyone be nice to Derek, he's now my newest farm hand." 

"What?" Stiles questions, his eyes flying from Derek to his father. His life is so over. "Is he living here?" 

"He's staying in the hut since the cottage is full." His father answers but Stiles doesn't miss the quick look he gets from his dad as he realises he was being a rude with his response. 

"Sorry I was just curious." Stiles says trying to make amends. "I'll show you around the farm, come with me." Stiles says standing up from his seat and heading for the door. 

They both get into his jeep in silence and Stiles drives around the farm pointing things out and occasionally telling a few stories along the way. Derek doesn't mind, he's happy to get away by only saying a couple words here and there so Stiles knows he's listening. 

The farm is a lot larger than Derek expected, everything spread out nicely and it now made sense why all the farm hands drive their vehicles around the place.

"Past this paddock out the back there's a giant scrub or woods or whatever you wanna call it, Scott and I use to go camping in there when we were kids. There's a lake in the middle of all the trees too." Stiles says as he points towards the tree line near the paddock. "When it has water in it its good fishing too but there's a lot of leaches so I wouldn't recommend swimming, been there done that and leaches are painful critters to get off your skin." 

Derek nods as he continues staring out the window taking in the scenery of the Stilinski farm, trying to remember where everything is. 

"Feel free to ask any questions, I know you don't talk much but even you must have some questions." Stiles says glancing in his direction before turning back to the dirt track he was driving on. 

Derek sits there for a few minutes contemplating what to say. He has a few questions but he knows the more he talks to Stiles the more the kid will see him as a friend and that's a one way ticket for disaster, he doesn't have friends, it's better off that way. 

"Dude c'mon, theres gotta be at least one question you wanna ask? I'll answer anything." Stiles continues and Derek rolls his eyes, the kids persistent he'll give him that. 

"Is your real name really Stiles?" Derek questions causing a surprised expression on the younger man.

"Okay I will answer anything but that." Stiles responds causing Derek to somewhat smile.

"You said you'll answer anything." He adds but Stiles shakes his head.

"Stiles is a nickname because my real name is terrible. Only Scott knows my real name but he can't pronounce it so don't bother asking him." Stiles says but Derek shakes his head.

"That's still not answering the question." Derek replies raising his eye brows.

"How's this I will answer the question once you start talking more, deal?" He asks and Derek nods his head, he can live without knowing the kids real name. 

-

They finally finish driving around the property and Stiles parks his jeep in front of the hut. 

"So basically the farm hands wake up a bit after sunrise, Parrish is usually on breakfast duty at the cottage, he has a barbecue under the veranda. I usually have a coffee with dad in the mornings then head over to cottage for food. After breakfast everyone usually goes off and does their own work, in all honesty if something looks broken or needs to be fixed don't bother asking, just go for it. I would suggest trying to fix our damn slasher we use it to cut the grass when it gets too high but we've all tried to fix it and nothing works." Stiles explains and Derek nods liking the sound of working alone. "Lunch is usually at 12:30 at the main house, if dads home he cooks for all of us but if he's at the station I usually just make sandwiches, nothing fancy and tea, everyone usually does their own thing. The guys have food in the cottage and do whatever they please while dad and I eat together in the house. Since you haven't been into town yet you'll be eating in our house at least until you can buy some food from the store to keep in the hut for yourself."

Derek nods, not liking the eating together part but at least he gets to work mainly alone unless the others need help with something. He also gets the old wooden hut to himself too so he can't really complain. 

"Thanks." Derek replies getting out the jeep.

"Wait a second did you just say 'thanks'?" Stiles questions out loud causing Derek to roll his eyes as he walks into the hut but he couldn't help but smile hearing Stiles laugh in the background. 

-

A few hours later Derek finds himself hands covered in grease, jeans covered in dirt and sweat dripping down his face as he leans over the old slasher with a spanner in his hand. It's nothing knew to him, he's use to working outdoors in temperatures twice as hot as this, he loves doing this stuff. It makes him feel like he's doing something right and good for a change when he fixes stuff and it gives him something else to think about. Something for him to completely focus on for a few hours until the next job.

He finishes tightening the last bolt before hooking the slasher onto the back of the old tractor next to it. He jumps into the drivers seat and turns the key bringing the old tractor to life in an instant. He lets it idle for a few minutes making sure she won't stall on him before flicking the switch to turn the slasher on. It takes a couple goes but on the third she fires up and the slashers blades begin to spin. He checks the clock up on the wall in the barn and figures he still has a few hours before it's tea time. 

He turns the tractor off, climbing out as he wipes the sweat off his forehead with his long sleeve. He walks out the old barn spotting Parrish by the horse stables with a bucket of grain. Derek doesn't even hesitate before turning in the opposite direction, he isn't in the mood to talk to people and definitely doesn't want to go near any horses if he has a choice.

He walks towards what looks to be a large chicken coop that is in a desperate need of maintenance. There's nails sticking up, roof caving in, huge holes in the wire and he's shocked none of the chickens have gotten out. So he spends the rest of the afternoon at the chicken coop, until he can't see what is in front of him from the sun setting, when he decides to head back to the hut and get ready for tea.

He takes a quick shower and puts his dirty clothes back on again, he needs to remember to buy new clothes when he gets paid and is able to go into town next. He sits on the end of his bed for a few minutes before he wonders over towards the house.

He can't even remember the last time he had sat down with people and ate a warm home cooked meal. It would have been at least five years ago, him and Laura never had enough money for meals like this and even if they did they would have no way of cooking it. They both lived in his old Toyota, occasionally slept in sheds when working for farmers or something but never a house, not since the fire. He quickly stops his thought process there, knowing if he thinks about that for too long things won't end well. He lost everything and everyone but Laura and then he lost her as well.

"Derek?" Stiles voice calls and he looks up to find the boy standing in front of him with a half concerned look on his face. 

"What?" Derek questions staring at him not sure what else to do. 

"I was calling your name before but you weren't listening, anyway I said come inside, dads just serving tea now." Stiles answers and Derek nods following him inside. 

"Good afternoon Derek." The sheriff greets as he places three plates on the kitchen table. 

"Afternoon sir." Derek says with a nod and follows Stiles' lead and takes a seat in the same spot he did last time. The eat in silence, the sheriff and Stiles talk about their day to each other but Derek stays out of the conversation and continues eating. 

"You don't talk a lot do you son?" The sheriff suddenly says looking over at Derek from across the table. 

"I don't have anything to say." Derek simply says and Stiles laughs causing a death stare in return from Derek. 

"I've told you this Dad, he doesn't talk." Stiles comments with his mouth full of food, Derek doesn't know why but it causes him to smile and he shakes  head. 

"Well what did you get up to today Derek?" The sheriff asks and Derek knows it's only to try get him to talk.

"After Stiles showed me around the place I went back to the old slasher and fixed that and then went to the old chicken coop-" Derek begins to explain before Stiles cut him off.

"Wait. Wait. You fixed the slasher?!" Stiles questions his jaw dropped and Derek nods. 

"I knew it was a good idea hiring you. The rest of the farm hands are useless at that stuff." The sheriff comments with a laugh.

"I'll get Scott or Boyd to slash the grass around here tomorrow then." Stiles replies taking another bite of his burger. 

"Within the next few days I'll get someone to take you into Beacon Hills Derek, so you can get some food and by the looks new clothes." The sheriff says and Derek nods as he finishes his tea and takes a drink of water. 

"I've been meaning to ask, did you come from a farm Derek?" Stiles asks casually but Derek's heart begins to beat quicker.

"Why?" Derek replies trying to get away from this topic, he doesn't want to even think about it let alone talk about it and the less Stiles knows about him the better off he is.

"You have a photograph of some farm house, I was just wondering if that was yours." Stiles answers and Derek shakes his head touching his pocket in his flannel where the photos were. Impossible, how could he know he has photos let alone what they are of. "I saw it when you were sorta unconscious on my bed, sorry you don't have answer I was just wondering if you were." He explains obviously seeing the confused look on his face. He can't talk about this, he won't talk about this not with Stiles, the kid doesn't need to know this, hell the less he knows the more safe he is.

"I have to go, thanks for tea." Derek suddenly says standing up from the table looking at the sheriff then to Stiles before walking out the house. 

"Did I say something wrong?" Stiles asks turning to his dad as he hears the front door shut. 

"He's a bit touchy about his personal life, he's been through a fair bit, don't take it personally. But Stiles, you shouldn't have went through the mans personal stuff." His dad answers and he nods. He knew it was wrong to go through the photos but in his defence he was trying to find the mans ID. He just showed up out of no where, of course Stiles wanted to know who the guy was, although he knew that was no excuse. If someone went through his wallet and started asking questions about the photo of his mother then he wouldn't be too happy either but still it was just a photo of a house why did Derek react that way? 

"I was only looking for his ID and I found the photos, I didn't mean to upset the dude." Stiles exclaims.

"I know you wouldn't have done it on purpose but you might want to go explain that to him." The sheriff answers and Stiles nods. 

"Does he seem like the kind of person to be violent when he's upset about something like this? I think he would be violent. Great I'm gonna get beat up on my own farm-" He begins to say trying to avoid going to apologise to Derek but also because it's kinda true, hell the first time he properly talked to Derek he got slammed into his own bedroom wall by him.

"Stiles." His dad sighs and Stiles points to the door and the sheriff nods.

"Alright, fine I'm going. But if I'm not back by nine I'm probably knocked out with a blood nose or something." He answers and his dad laughs as he walks out the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, 
> 
> If you like this fanfic please leave a kudos and comment so I know someone is enjoying my work. It would mean a lot and give me motivation to continue writing new chapters. 
> 
> Have a great day xx


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey Derek?" Stiles calls as he knocks on the door to the hut. He knows Derek is in there. He can see the old lamp turned on inside but Derek doesn't answer the door. Great he's giving me the silent treatment, real mature. "Derek you in there?" He shouts but again no reply. "I just came to apologise man." Stiles says as he pushes the door and he freezes when the door opens, not expecting it to be unlocked. 

He opens the door fully and doesn't even need to take a step in the room to find the man. The hut is only small, a bed in one corner of the room and on the other side is a small kitchen and a door which leads to a bathroom with a toilet and shower but that's it. So it wasn't difficult to spot Derek leaning on the wooden bench with his back to him. Even through the long sleeve flannel Stiles could tell Derek was tense and the way his head was hanging low he knew something was awfully wrong.

"Hey, are you alright?" Stiles finally asks realising he was staring for a bit longer than he should have. 

"The photo was my families farm." Derek answers in a rough voice, almost scaring Stiles, not expecting a reply. The older man doesn't turn around though so Stiles takes a step inside shutting the door behind himself. So he was right, it is his farm, but why is he acting like this? Maybe his parents kicked him out or something, that would explain the whole living in his ute situation, Stiles thinks to himself. 

"Feel free to kick me out if you don't wanna answer but why don't you work on your family farm? I mean surely it would be better than living in your ute and trying to find work all over the country side." He says watching Derek who shakes his head.

"I would if I could." Derek simply replies and now it was Stiles who was shaking his head, that doesn't even make sense. 

"What do you mean? Did your parents kick you out or something?" He questions because honestly right now he was confused. 

"Something happened." Derek begins to say and Stiles notices the way he grips the edge of the bench tighter, the mans knuckles turning white and Stiles knows whatever this story is it’s hard for him to talk about it. "Five years ago there was a fire. My older sister and I weren't home, we were in town for the afternoon but the rest of my family were all inside." He stops talking for a few seconds taking his time to gather his words. Stiles is getting the feeling he's the first person to ever hear this story and he's pretty sure he can guess how it ends but god, he hopes he's wrong. 

"The fire spread so quickly, they didn't even have a chance. By the time we got home half the house had collapsed and engulfed with flames." Derek explains and suddenly all the times Stiles had seen Derek flinch when the wood fire in the house sparked and the way Derek would stare at the flames on the gas stove until the person cooking turns it off, it all makes sense now. Derek had lost not only his farm but basically his whole family in one night due to a fire. Holy shit, he is a horrible person for asking about it and even joking about his parents kicking him out. 

"Shit, sorry I didn't know that, I wouldn't have bought it up if I did." Stiles replies not knowing what else to say. He lost his mother when he was only a boy and that was beyond painful, he couldn't even imagine what it would be like to lose his whole family and his farm. 

"I didn't expect you to know, nobody knows. It's fine." Derek replies quietly still facing away from him.

"I lost my mother when I was kid and I hated it when people would tell me that they are 'sorry' that shit use to drive me insane." Stiles replies and Derek actually laughs. 

"I know the feeling." He replies and Stiles smiles.

"I'm not gonna pretend to know what it must feel like. Yeah, I lost my mother and I remember it like it happened yesterday and I know it isn't the same but if it helps I'm here if you wanna talk about it. I'm sorta getting the feeling you don't talk about this, like at all so just saying, I'm all ears if you want to." Stiles says and Derek nods. "I'll leave now, I've caused you enough trouble, just thank you for telling me and I'm sorry I was a dick and went through your personal stuff." He says as he turns to walk out the door before Derek speaks again.

"Stay." Derek says softly. "If you want to." He quickly adds turning to face him. Stiles could tell he was trying to keep his expression blank but he looked sad and Stiles knew from experience, it is bad to be left alone with your thoughts when you were like this. 

"Want to sit outside for a bit? It's a nice night." Stiles asks and Derek nods as they both walk out the hut and take a seat on the railing outside. They sit in silence for a while, neither of them talking and Stiles feels pretty helpless, but he knows his presence is helping Derek. 

"Again, tell me to leave if you don't want to answer and I fully understand if you don't but how many family members were inside?" Stiles suddenly asks and then internally kicks himself with how rude that question was.

"My whole family but Laura and I." He says and Stiles makes a mental note that his older sisters name is Laura. But where is she now? Wouldn't she be with Derek? "I had three siblings, Laura was the eldest, then it was me and then my younger sister Cora and my baby brother." 

"You had a big family." Stiles comments and Derek nods. "How did the fire start?" He asks and mentally face palms himself for asking questions, if he was Derek right now he would have punched him already. 

"They said it started from a hair straightener overheating." Derek mutters and Stiles could tell that is definitely not what Derek believes happened, but he knew better than to ask. He has so many more questions but doesn't want to push Derek away, not when he finally talked to him about his personal life. 

Again, they sit in silence leaving Stiles wondering what happened to Derek's family farm? If just the house burnt down why didn't he and his sister rebuild? They would have insurance money no doubt, maybe they couldn't stand to live there and rebuild which is fair enough, he probably wouldn't be able to if he was in Derek's shoes. But seriously where the hell is Laura? And why doesn't Derek believe what the cops said about the fire being started by a hair straightener? 

-

Stiles heads back to the house at around midnight for bed but Derek stays outside sitting on the railing for a little bit longer. He can't believe he just told Stiles that, the last thing he wants is the kids sympathy and he didn't even need to know in the first place. He no doubt has a thousand more questions about it because Derek knows he left a lot of the information out when he was explaining what happened. But that is for another day or never, that would suit him perfectly too. He sits there until he sees Stiles' bedroom light turn off before heading inside himself to try get some sleep. 

He tries and fails. By the time it reaches 3am he has woken up four times to the sounds of screams and the smell of smoke. He knew it was pointless trying to go back to sleep and not worth the sweating, panic and memories his nightmares bring him. Instead he turns the lamp on and starts his morning workout. He hasn't been able to do his morning workout for weeks and it feels good to be able to do it again. His muscles aching in a good way as he does his different sits ups, push ups, chin ups and whatever else he can think of. By the time he's done it's almost 4:30am. He sits on his bed for another hour before the sky slowly begins to brighten up.

He pulls his boots on, grabbing his tool box that he managed to grab from his ute and heads towards one of the fences along the driveway to the Stilinski farm. He noticed it needed patching up when he last walked past it. 

 

By the time the sun rises he's already patched up three different sections of the same fence line and to be honest he isn't sure how the cattle haven't gotten out before hand. He begins the next patch, tying some wire together when he hears a vehicle approaching. He turns around to find the sheriffs cruiser pulling up along side him. 

"Morning sheriff." Derek says standing up. 

"You know I pay you by the day not by the hour right? You don't need to be up so early working son, but it's good to know you're a hard worker." The sheriff says.

"Thank you, sir." He replies with a nod as he puts the pliers in his back pocket not wanting to hold them. 

"Stiles was looking for you this morning. You weren't in the hut, he was worried you'd taken off. Go to the cottage and have some breakfast son, Parrish had just started cooking the boys eggs and bacon when I left." The sheriff says and drives off without letting Derek say another word. 

-

"Wait you think he just took off?" Scott questions sitting down on his chair under the veranda and Stiles nods.

"But his ute got wrecked didn't it? He couldn't have just walked off." Parrish adds and Boyd nods.

"I haven't really spoken to the man properly but I don't think he's that stupid to walk away, it's gonna be even hotter today." Boyd comments and Stiles shrugs his shoulders. As soon as he noticed Derek wasn't in the hut this morning the first thing he'd thought was that he pushed him too hard last night and that he had left, but Boyd's right Derek isn't that stupid. Maybe he went for a morning walk to clear his head.

"Why are you so worried about him anyway? You barely know him." Scott asks and he shakes his head.

"Yeah I barely know him but he's a good guy and hard worker, we honestly need him around here. Speaking of which he fixed the slasher so either you two want to go slashing today?" Stiles asks looking between Boyd and Scott.

"Hey, what about me?" Parrish questions from behind the barbecue.

"The last time you used it Jordan, you broke it and I ain't risking that again." Stiles comments causing Boyd and Scott to laugh.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault your stupid paddock was so rocky." Parrish says defensively and Scott rolls his eyes.

"No, but it is your fault that you didn't see the boulder sized rock before you hit it with one of the blades." Scott comments with a laugh and Parrish shrugs his shoulders.

"It's fixed now and if I break it again I can ask Derek to repair it." Parrish says as he flips the eggs. 

"That's if he's still here." Stiles adds. 

"Where would I even go? I have no car." Derek's voice suddenly shouts and Stiles quickly turns around, relief flooding over him as he spots Derek walking towards the cottage.

"See Stiles, you were worrying for nothing, I told you the guy wasn't stupid." Boyd comments and Stiles tries to hide his face as he feels his cheeks turning red. 

"I wasn't worrying." Stiles mumbles as Derek reaches the cottage. 

"Mmm I'm sure you weren't." Parrish teases with a grin before putting the eggs and bacon on plates. "Take a seat Derek, your just in time." He says handing everyone a plate. 

 

After 10 minutes they had all finished and were talking about anything and everything before having to get up and work for the day. Derek stays quiet, just listening to the others talk, they seem like good people as far as he can tell. Within the last 10 minutes he's already learnt that Scott is secretly dating a girl called Allison, who they went to school with. Also, Boyd has a thing for the local bartender at the Beacon Hills bar named Erica, he thinks her name was and that they all usually go to the bar every Friday for a guys night out to unwind after a weeks work.

"Alright I suppose we should start working." Boyd says standing up with a stretch and Scott and Stiles both groan and Derek rolls his eyes. 

"I need help fixing that stupid roof on the old tin shed, are any of you free for an hour or two?" Parrish asks glancing around at the guys. 

"Scott and I gotta move the cattle into the next pasture paddock, we're out." Stiles replies and Boyd shakes his head.

"I could if you really needed me but I wanna get this slashing done before the boss gets home." Boyd says and Parrish nods.

"I can give you hand." Derek says and everyone turns to him like he's just spoken a different language. 

"I was starting to think you forgot how to talk." Scott comments and Derek raises his eyes brows causing Stiles to burst out laughing. 

"He doesn't talk much, which is probably a good thing because you guys talk enough as it is." Stiles responds and Derek shakes his head as Stiles cracks him a smile causing Derek to turn away, hiding his own smile after seeing Stiles’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, 
> 
> Hope you’re all enjoying this fanfic, I’m sorry these first few chapters are just setting up the characters and their lives on the farm so bare with me, it will get better. 
> 
> I would love to hear your feedback on this fic, it means the world to me seeing someone has liked it. 
> 
> Catch you guys next week with a new chapter. Stay safe xx


	6. Chapter 6

"So what brings you to Beacon Hills? Well 60km away from Beacon Hills but you know, same thing." Parrish asks looking down from the roof top at Derek who throws him the hammer from the tool box in the back of the Toyota. 

"Just been driving the country side looking for jobs. The sheriff offered this one and I couldn't find a reason to turn it down." Derek answers casually but he could honestly find a hundred different reasons to turn it down, yet he stayed. 

"I get that. I use to be one of his deputies at the station in town and when he offered this job to me, I couldn't turn it down. It's not the best pay but I get free lunches, a roof over my head and the guys here are like family to me." Parrish responds and Derek nods. "For someone who doesn't talk very much Stiles seems to like you and if I'm being honest it's hard to get that kid to like you. He wasn't a fan of me when I first got the job but that might be because I was the first farm hand after his mother passed away so that's understandable. But still it's hard to get him to like you that quickly, so whatever you have done, keep it up."

"I don't even know what've done." Derek answers as he takes a drink of his water bottle.

"I think it's because you’re quiet. Stiles isn't a fan of people snooping in his personal stuff and I guess you being quiet you don't do that at all, maybe that's it." Parrish offers and Derek shrugs his shoulders as the other man starts to climb down the roof when the ladder begins to wobble and fall backwards. "Shit! Derek!" Parrish shouts but Derek was already watching and grabs the ladder leaning back against the roof as he holds it still until Parrish reaches the safety of the dirt. 

"You alright?" Derek asks taking the ladder back down and Parrish nods.

"Thanks man, that would have been a high fall." Parrish says looking back up at the roof of the shed with a cringe. 

 

The rest of the day goes by fairly fast, Derek spends it back at the driveway patching up that fence. He has lunch with the other farm hands and Stiles, he sat next to Boyd who he found doesn't talk as much as the others and they hit it off quite well. After lunch he goes back to the fence and by the time he's finished the sun was already setting for another day. He washes up and has tea with the sheriff and Stiles. 

"Who's motorbike is that in the old shed?" Derek asks as he finishes his food. He's been wondering that for a while. It was dirty and looked as if its been sitting there for a few years and he hasn't seen any other motorbikes around the place.

"The old dirt bike? Use to me mine for when we would round up the cattle. But it died on me years ago and now that I have the farm hands who use horses to do that stuff, I never bothered getting it fixed." The sheriff explains and Derek nods. 

"Do you ride motorbikes?" Stiles asks joining the convention and Derek nods again.

"Well hey, if you can make the bike work then you can have it. I don't use it anymore and the boys all like riding horses better anyway." The sheriff says and Derek looks over at him trying to work out if he's serious.

"Are you sure sir?" He asks and the sheriff nods, he hasn't rode a bike in years. His father taught him how to ride when he was a young boy and ever since then he's been hooked to it. There's just nothing like riding on a motorbike around the farm to clear your head and to just get away from everything, he misses doing that. 

"What about horses? Do you ride horses?" Stiles asks and Derek shakes his head. 

"I use to but not anymore." Derek answers and Stiles opens his mouth to say something but then closes it again thinking otherwise. "Anyway I better let you guys go, thank you for tea Mr Stilinski." 

"Please son, call me John." The sheriff replies and Derek nods in response. 

"Wait, before you go, tomorrow I need to go to town to get a few things and you can come if you want?" Stiles asks and Derek nods again. "Alright great, we leave bright and early. I want to avoid the usual rush of people." 

-

He meets Stiles by his jeep before the sun was even up and gets handed a toasted cheese sandwich while Stiles eats his own. 

They drive in silence for a while, it was comfortable silence compared to the usual awkward silence. Since the night he told Stiles about the fire something has changed between them. He can't pick it but he knows something has and they have become closer which scares the hell out of him. 

"What's on your mind? You've been glaring at the dash board of my jeep for the past 10 minutes." Stiles asks glancing in his direction before turning back to focus on the road.

"Nothing, just thinking." Derek replies with a shrug of his shoulders. 

"You do that a lot." Stiles comments and Derek smiles with a nod, he can't disagree with that. "So first thing we are doing in town is buying you some clothes because no offence dude, but you're starting to smell." 

"What do you need from town?" Derek asks ignoring Stiles comment.

"Just some food, we are running low on canned stuff, you can get some food too that way you won't have to come to the house for teas as much because even I can tell that isn't your most favourite thing to do." Stiles replies and Derek nods. As much as he'd hate to admit it he will miss eating tea while Stiles babbles on about something pointless to his father, but he doesn't say that out loud. 

When they finally reach Beacon Hills it's bigger than Derek pictured it. It was still small like your typical country town but had a local pub/bar, a grocery food store, fuel station, post officer, hospital, police station and a few small businesses. They head to a small clothes store on the Main Street which is owned by the Martins, who's daughter Lydia use to go to school with Stiles. Well at least that's what Derek thinks Stiles said earlier and also something about how he use to have the biggest crush on her and now they are friends or something.

They walk into the store and Derek wasn't surprised when nobody else was in there, it was only 8am and it's a small town. They head towards the men's section and Stiles stops in front of the jeans pointing at Derek to find the ones his size. Once Stiles was happy Derek had enough jeans, three new pairs to be exact. Two for farm work and the other for 'special occasions' although Derek doesn't see the point. It's not like he's ever gonna go anywhere where he needs to dress up but he knew better than to argue with Stiles. 

Next Stiles leads him to the shirt section and Derek grabs a bunch of long sleeve and sleeveless flannels. But of course Stiles hands him a nice long sleeve western style shirt again for 'special occasions'. Before Derek could even argue with the boy he's already walked off towards the shoe section. 

"You do realise I am not rich, right?" Derek questions as Stiles points to one of the most expensive pairs of boots on the shelves. 

"I know how much my dad pays all the farm hands. So shut up, you can afford it." Stiles comments but Derek rolls his eyes grabbing a more cheaper pair of boots.

"But I still have to buy food and fuel for the motorbike." He adds causing Stiles to stop, clearly thinking about it and doing the maths in his head.

"Yeah alright you got me there, but why are you buying fuel for the motorbike? You might not even be able to fix it." Stiles says as they walk towards the cash register.

"I had a quick look at the bike after tea yesterday and I'm pretty sure I can fix it." He explains as he places the clothes on the counter. 

“Hey Lydia, how's things been?" Stiles asks as a red head lady about Stiles and Scotts age walks up the counter. 

"Things are starting to get busier now that the weather is getting hotter. But on a more important subject, who is your gorgeous friend?" The girl asks staring at Derek with curious eyes making Derek feel uncomfortable, but keeps eye contact with her.

"This is Derek, our newest farm hand. Derek this is Lydia Martin." Stiles introduces and Derek nods at her and she smiles. 

"Well it's nice to meet you Derek. Anyway how's Parrish doing? I haven't seen him in ages." Lydia says changing the topic in a flash and Derek gets the slight feeling that she likes Parrish. 

"He's good. He nearly fell off the old shed roof the other day but lucky Derek was there." Stiles says and Lydia laughs as she scans the clothes. Derek pays before they say their goodbyes and head to the food store next. 

They both grab what they need, Derek grabbing food to use for his teas and stuff that can last a fair while like tinned food and Stiles grabs the items he and his father were running low on. They started heading towards the check out when someone calls Stiles' name, Derek turns around to find woman walking towards them with a smile.

"Melissa!” Stiles shouts happily giving the woman a hug as Derek stands back not sure what to do. Stiles has been stopped nearly every five minutes to talk to someone different. He is definitely well known around here, although that might have something to do with his father being the sheriff. 

Derek stands back and lets the two chat before Melissa looks over at him and she smiles.

"You must be the new farm hand Scott was telling me about over the phone, I'm Melissa. Scott's mum." She says extending her hand and he shakes her hand with a nod. 

"Nice to meet you Ms McCall." He responds and then regrets it thinking he got Scott's last name wrong but she just smiles... maybe he didn't. 

They talk for the next five minutes, well her and Stiles talk while Derek stands there until they part ways. Before long they find themselves back in Stiles' jeep and heading home. It was just past 2pm by the time they started heading back to the farm. Stiles pick up a few things from the station for his dad and ran a couple other little errands which made the time fly quickly.

"You know a lot of people in town." Derek comments as Stiles pulls out of the car park.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I know you aren't a fan of talking to people." Stiles replies and Derek shakes his head.

"You did most of the talking anyway." Derek says looking out the window. 

"Well that's true. Anyway tonight Parrish, Boyd, Scott and I are going to the bar for a few drinks, do you want to come with us?" He asks and Derek raises his eye brows turning to Stiles. "Man you talk more with your eyebrows than you do with words." Stiles comments and Derek frowns.

"Aren't you too young to drink?" He questions.

"Well yeah, I'm 18 so no alcohol but that doesn't mean I can't buy coke and have a good time with friends." Stiles replies surprising Derek with his answer who was waiting for Stiles to say he has a fake ID or something. "So is that a yes?" He asks and Derek thinks for a few minutes. He hasn't been to a bar for ages but boy it would be good to have a few drinks, he thinks to himself so he nods and Stiles hits the steering wheel happily. Derek smiles seeing the reaction but God he hopes he doesn't regret this.


	7. Chapter 7

He stands himself up from the dirt next to the old motorbike, it's been nearly two hours since he started working on it and he thinks he might have finally got it. With one last turn of the chain he screws on the last bolt before taking a seat on the dusty dirt bike. As much as the bike looks old and dirty it is a pretty good bike. They stopped making these Yamaha XT500's in the 80's which is why he is shocked it's in such good condition. 

"C'mon baby." Derek says shaking his head as he turns the choke lever on and turns the key but nothing happens. The electric start obviously doesn't work, the kick start better, Derek thinks to himself as he pulls out the kick arm and kicks it down, the bike begins to gurgle but doesn't start.

"C'mon." Derek mutters and he slams his foot down on the kick starter again and again and again until finally the bike roars to life. He turns the throttle slightly, revving the engine to make sure it will stay running. After a few minutes of idling he walks the bike out the shed before pulling the clutch in as he taps the bike into gear and takes off. He rides around the shed area going up and down gears like it was second nature. The wind hitting his face as he speeds up, deciding to take it for a long test ride to the woods and maybe to the lake if he can find a track, not wanting to blow any tyres.

He reaches the end of the furthest paddock spotting what seems to be a horse track that goes through the woods. He follows the track into the trees driving slightly slower because he isn't familiar with the track. The woods are absolutely stunning, the trees reaching for the sky and the flowers mixed with the grass on the ground. No wonder Stiles said he loves this place. Before long he reaches the edge of the lake, but it isn't much of a lake as it's empty but he could only imagine how beautiful this place would be with a full lake in the middle of it. 

He kicks the bike stand down and climbs off the seat as he turns the engine off. He looks around the place spotting a lonely bench on the edge of the lake clearly used by people to sit and look at the water. He walks over to the bench taking a seat on the wooden frame as he looks across at the dry lake bed in front of him. If only Laura could see this. She would love it, she would love it on the Stilinski farm. Getting her hands dirty and fixing things. She would no doubt be showing up the farm hands. He could only imagine what it would be like if Stiles and Laura ever met. They would like each other and probably gang up together to pick on him knowing his luck. If only he could have found this farm sooner, if only he could have saved his sister but instead he didn't even see the attackers coming before it was too late. 

They were in a bar. Just finished a really good paying farm job and the only thing Laura wanted to do was have a drink with her little brother, something neither of them had done after the fire, they could never  afford it. So they went to the nearest bar. He didn't even notice the man and woman walk into the bar. It was crowded, music loud and he was busy listening to Laura as she explain where they were going to go next. He was too oblivious, too unfocused and for the first time in years he and Laura were somewhat relaxed as they sat at the bar with a few drinks. He didn't notice the woman take a seat next to him or the man take a seat next to Laura as the two of them were too busy talking to each other. That was until the woman slid her hand over his arm and up his shoulder, leaning her head on his shoulder and kissing him on the cheek. Before he could even react he felt a sharp blade against his throat and his eyes locked with Laura's for a split second and by the terrified yet angry look in her eyes he knew exactly who the woman behind him was.

"Hey handsome, miss me?" Kate's voice questions next to his ear and his whole body tenses in panic. 

"If you hurt my brother, I'll kill you!" Laura shouts pulling her pocket knife out her boot about to fight Kate but before she could even take a step the man behind her pulls out a gun and fires point blank at her skull. 

"NO!" Derek shouts desperately, all he could do was watch as Laura's lifeless body falls to the ground like a rag doll, blood pouring everywhere. It was at that moment he had given up all hope, he can't even remember clearly what happened after that moment. A police officer happened to be in the bar at the same time and in a blink of an eye Kate and the man were gone. Everything was a blur afterwards, he remembers bits and pieces, but he didn't care, he had given up, Kate fucking wins. 

-

"Yo Stiles!" Scotts voice calls and Stiles looks up to find his best friend walking over to him.

"Hey, what's up?" Stiles asks as he takes the diesel pump out the fuel tank of his jeep, hanging it back up on the hooks. He could have filled up the tank when he went to town this morning but it's a lot more cheaper if he fills up through the farms fuel tank, even though his dad doesn't like him doing it. 

"I just saw Derek riding that old bike! That thing hasn't been up and running for years!" He replies with a shocked expression and Stiles laughs but smiles to himself knowing Derek would have been able to get the old bike started. 

"I took him to town this morning to buy clothes and stuff and he bought fuel for the bike, so he was pretty determined to get the old girl working." Stiles says screwing the lid on his fuel cap. 

"Wait you took him to town?" Scott questions and Stiles nods. 

"Is that a problem?" He asks unsure of why Scott seems somewhat shocked by the news.

"No, no of course not, but wouldn't it have been awkward driving all the way to Beacon Hills and back? The dude barely talks." Scott explains and Stiles nods finally catching on to where the conversation was going.

"It wasn't that awkward. Derek isn't a bad guy and when he wasn't talking it wasn't awkward silence, it was more like a comfortable silence." He describes and Scott rolls his eyes.

"Dude it sounds like you're in a relationship with him when you start talking about 'comfortable silence' like c'mon Allison and I only just got to that stage." Scott says dramatically and Stiles rolls his eyes with a laugh.

"Well I can assure you I am not in a relationship with him, he is about as straight as it gets and also way out of my league. We're just friends, I'm one of the only people he actually talks to, so I assume that makes us friends." Stiles says half uncertain and Scott laughs.

"I have seen the way you two act and talk around each other, you are definitely friends." Scott replies and Stiles smiles. "Hey, is Derek coming to the bar with us tonight? He can meet the rest of the crew, but Isaac texted earlier he said he can't make it. He's still up north picking up goats or something in the truck." 

"Damn that sucks, I was gonna call a rematch of darts because last Friday he totally cheated!" Stiles exclaims and this time it was Scott who rolled his eyes. "But also yeah Derek's coming, after I managed to persuade him with my magical persuading skills."

-

He rests his hands on his knees, his head hung low with tears threatening to spill down his cheek. He closes his eyes trying to get the horrid memory out his mind. It's nearly been a year, yet he can barely think of Laura without his brain replaying her death in his head over and over again. 

"I'm sorry, Laura." He says softly in a croaky voice looking up over at the barren lake bed in front of him. He sits there for another hour when the sun begins to set before he decides he should head back. 

 

He parks the bike in the old tin shed and begins walking down the paddock fence line towards the main area of the farm when he spots Stiles. He needs to tell him he can't go to the bar tonight, he's not ready and he's not much of a social person to begin with anyway.

After a few minutes he reaches the horse stables and he can hear Stiles' voice talking to the horses. He doesn't go into the stables, he just stands against the tall oak tree waiting for Stiles to finish feeding the horses. 

"Hey, Derek!" Stiles calls spotting him before Derek even had a chance to see him walk out the stables. "You know you are allowed to come into the stables right?" 

"I can't come to the bar tonight." Derek says ignoring Stiles' question as he takes a few steps towards the other man. 

"What? Why?" Stiles asks in confusion.

"Just not in the mood, I'm not a huge fan of doing that sort of stuff anyway." He explains but clearly it wasn't a good enough reason by the look on Stiles face.

"Well bad luck you're coming, you already said you were and you can't take that back." Stiles states sternly and Derek raises his eyebrows not even needing to comment on that. "C'mon please, you have to come Derek. It's just one night, pleaseeeee." Stiles begs dragging out the last word and Derek shakes his head, God he is going to regret this, he knows it.

"Alright fine, but I'm borrowing a vehicle to drive myself there, I'm not relying on someone else to take me home after they have had a few drinks." Derek states and Stiles face suddenly lights up. 

"Done deal! You can take the farm ute, because the guys will probably take their own cars and I'll take my jeep." Stiles explains and Derek nods. "Don't worry you'll have a great time, just wait and see." Stiles says and Derek shakes his head, what is he getting himself into?


	8. Chapter 8

He pulls up down the road from the bar, parking next to Parrish's blue Toyota pick up and Stiles’ jeep. 

"Did we lose Scott already?" Boyd asks getting out the passenger side of Parrish's car and Derek could hear Stiles laugh from the other side. 

"He's totally ditched us and gone to find Allison, typical." Stiles mutters as the four of them begin walking across the road to the bar. His heart is beating out of his chest and his new shirt is already starting to get sweat stains. He just wants to get inside and have a drink to ease his nerves. 

They reach the door to the bar. Parrish and Boyd walking through first but Derek hesitates for a few seconds staring at the door. Relax, it's not the same bar. Nothing is going to happen, he thinks to himself before Stiles' voice cuts him off.

"You okay, Derek?" He asks and Derek turns to find Stiles looking over at him with a worried look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Derek responds shaking his head as he forces his legs to move and he walks through the door. 

The country music blasting through the speakers hit them as they take a step into the bar and Derek looks around trying to get his bearings. There was a bar along the back wall, a couple pool tables to the far right side next to a dart board on the wall. To the left were a bunch of tables and chairs for people to sit, eat and socialise but that was about it. The room was fairly big and everything spaced out comfortably but Derek has no doubt as the night gets later more people will rock up. 

Stiles taps him on the shoulder and points towards the left side of the bar where he spots Parrish and Boyd sitting on a couple stools. They walk over to the two guys. Stiles takes a seat next to Boyd so Derek follows and sits on the other side of Stiles. 

"The usual Stiles?" A blonde bartender asks as she places Boyd and Parrish's drinks in front of them and Stiles nods. "And what can I get you Mr I-have-never-met-you-before-and-it's-rude-to-not-introduce-me-to-your-friend." The woman says turning from Derek to the other three waiting for an answers. 

"Oh right! Erica this is Derek our new farm hand and Derek this is Erica, Boyd's girlfriend." Stiles says and Derek nods to her but she turns to Stiles with a scowl. 

"She's not my girlfriend." Boyd says rolling his eyes and Erica nods in agreement. Although it's clearly obvious something was going on between them, even Derek can pick that up after two minutes.

"You might as well be in a relationship." Parrish argues as he takes a drink of his beer.

"Ignore them. Anyway what can I get you?" Erica asks turning her attention back to him. 

"Just a beer, thanks." Derek responds and she nods with a smile before turning away. He glances around the room and relaxes a little bit when he can't recognise anyone. There's about 15 other people at the bar, half playing pool and the other half just standing around drinking and talking. 

He turns back in his chair facing the bar and takes a drink of his beer, man he's needed a drink like this for months. He finishes the beer before Parrish or Boyd were even half way through theirs and Erica doesn’t hesitate to place another one in front of him as he gives her the money. 

"Damn you drank that quick." Parrish comments and Derek shrugs. 

"See it's not so bad, is it?" Stiles asks leaning over towards him and Derek shrugs his shoulders again causing Stiles to smile. 

After about 40 minutes the four of them had migrated to a table and they were just sitting around it talking and exchanging stories, when Scott walks up to them with a girl behind him. 

"Hey, Allison." The three of them greet and she greets them back, causing Derek to look up from the table to see who this Allison who Scott never shuts up about is. He finds her standing hand in hand with Scott. She has long curly brown hair and is wearing a purple beanie with a leather jacket. She is about Scott and Stiles' age but Derek can’t shake the feeling that she looked familiar. 

"Derek, this is Allison, Scotts girlfriend and Allison this is Derek." Stiles introduces as he takes a drink of his coke. 

"Nice to meet you Derek." Allison says with a smile. 

"You too." Derek replies with a nod but he still can’t shake the feeling of knowing her. She clearly doesn’t recognise him or seems like she knows who he is, so maybe he's just a bit paranoid. This is ridiculous, she's Scotts girlfriend. He's probably seen a photo of her or something somewhere, Derek thinks to himself. 

The two sit down and join in with Parrish and Boyd's conversation about how they found a snake in the bathroom of the cottage or something but Derek isn’t really listening. 

"Want me to point some people out to you?" Stiles asks and Derek turns his attention to the left to where Stiles is sitting and nods needing a distraction from his thoughts. "Alrighty well see the two guys standing by the window talking? The one of the left that's Danny. I went to high school with him and the other guy is Ethan. I think they are dating but I'm not 100% sure. Anyway, Ethan has a twin brother called Aidan, who's standing by the bar talking with Erica at the moment. They're good people and run the local mechanics in Beacon Hills together." Stiles explains and Derek nods, trying to remember names with their faces. "Umm you see the tall blonde guy next to the girl in the denim jacket by the pool table? That's Brett and the girl is his sister Lori. They moved here a few years ago but we know Brett from lacrosse when our schools use to verse each other. Umm." Stiles mutters looking around the bar until he spots someone familiar. "You see that guy playing darks? He's throwing his dart now. That's Jackson, he's a dickhead. We went to school with him and have hated him ever since but he has gotten better and less mean with age. He thinks he's better than everyone else though and is always looking for a fight. So I suggest staying away from him especially after he's had a few drinks. But umm I don't know many of the other people here, some are just passing through town, others are locals but I've never met them." 

"I will try remember all that." Derek comments and Stiles laughs. 

"I bet you can't remember the first person I told you about." Stiles teases and Derek raises his eye brows. 

"What will you do if I can remember the first person?" Derek asks with a slight grin.

"Tell you what, if you can tell me the first person I said and the information I said about them... I will pay for your next drink." Stiles answers folding his arms over his chest, fairly confident he has won this. 

"Danny, the guy by the window with the brown hair. You think he's dating Ethan but you're not 100% sure. Also you went to high school with him." Derek explains and Stiles' eyes open wide in surprise.

"Damn, okay I should be annoyed that I lost but honestly I'm just impressed" Stiles comments with a laugh and Derek rolls his eyes taking a sip of his beer.

 

An hour or so rolls by and Derek finds himself sitting at the end of the bar watching the others play pool. It was currently Scott, Stiles and Allison vs Parrish and Boyd and the two were currently kicking Stiles, Scott and Allison's ass at the game. Which is extremely entertaining seeing the frustration on Stiles and Scotts face built after every shot.

After a while Derek turns back facing the bar. He takes a drink of his beer when he catches an image out the corner of his eye take a seat next to him. He turns his head to find a woman, roughly his age asking Erica for another drink. Erica shakes her head saying that she has had more than enough to drink and even Derek agrees with that. The woman is slurring her speech and seems a bit off balance even when she's sitting down. He gives credit to Erica for looking after her customers, even if she gets called nasty names by drunk people wanting more alcohol. 

Derek turns back watching the others play pool and smiles as Stiles hits a perfect shot. 

Suddenly a hand grabs his upper thigh and squeezes it. His whole body tenses and he pulls his leg away as he turns to find the same drunk woman leaning over him. The whole room seems to spin. His mind going cloudy as all he can think of is Kate. The way she touched his body. Licked and kissed his skin. The way she would do whatever she wanted because he was a young stupid teenager, who didn't know what was right and wrong and thought it was normal to be treated that way. He hears her voice in his mind telling him he's a pussy when he tells her stop touching him. He closes his eyes for a few seconds trying to calm himself, knowing if he doesn't he will pull himself into a panic attack. He opens his eyes to find the drunk lady right in front of him.

"You're hot." She mutters placing her hand over his chest feeling his peck muscles. He grabs her hand and pulls it away quickly. 

"I'm not interested." Derek tries to say but even he could hear the stutter and fear in his own voice. The woman doesn't seem to register what he says and places her hand lower on his stomach and Derek tenses even more, his jaw clenching shut in fear. The only thing going through his head is one name. Kate Argent. 

The woman's hand traces his abs over his shirt. Her hand slowly moving lower and lower gliding over his belt and he suddenly stands up off the chair. He can feel sweat dripping down the side of his face and he knows his hands are shaking uncontrollably, he clutches them into fists to keep his fingers from trembling. 

"We- we should go back to my place." The woman says with a slur, standing up from her seat too as she places her hand on his jeans over his dick.

"Stop." Derek warns yanking her arm away from him. His mind is going blurry. His heart racing in his chest and he doesn't know what to do. He wants to run. He wants to get out of this situation but the woman is somehow standing in front of him, blocking him from getting away. 

Derek begins turning towards the bar, deciding to climb over and leave through the back door. When suddenly the woman grabs his ass turning him to face her somehow and she leans forward kissing him harshly. Derek tries to pull away. His mind racing as memories of Kate flood through his brain like a river and he pushes the woman away. The woman stumbles back grabbing the bar for support as an angry voice erupts through the bar, catching everyone's attention.

"What the hell do you think you're doing with my girl?!" Someone yells and Derek looks up to find a guy in jeans and denim jacket marching towards him and he recognises the guy as Jackson. His mind still blurry as he tries to calm himself down, his whole body tense and breathing uneven as the guy reaches him. "Did you not fucking hear me?" Jackson shouts his eyes furious with anger, clearly he has some sort of anger management issues. 

"She came at me." Derek finally says and he hates how croaky and broken his voice sounds. But that only seems to piss of this Jackson kid more. 

"Nobody touches my girl! Especially not some asshole farmer!" Jackson shouts and Derek could see out the corner of his eye the guys playing pool suddenly turning towards the two of them having heard Jacksons last shout. He focuses back on Jackson who is now even closer to him with his hands balled into fists. 

"You don't want to do this." Derek warns taking a step back. The last thing he wants is a fight. 

"Oh, yes I do." Jackson replies and before Derek can even move a step, Jackson swings his fist. Slamming it into the right side of Derek's face with a THWACK! His body crashing into the stool chairs by the bar and he falls to the ground from the impact. He could feel his cheek bone already beginning to bruise and suddenly Jackson is on top of him again. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pinning him against the wall. The man is stronger than he looks, Derek will give him that.

"You stay the fuck away from my girlfriend!" Jackson shouts kneeing him in the ribs and he gasps in pain doubling over on himself. 

"Tell your girlfriend to keep her fucking hands off me and I will." Derek replies after a few seconds catching his breath. He knows it is the absolute wrong thing to say but he doesn’t care. He isn’t going to be named the bad guy when he is the victim of the situation.  

Before Jackson has a chance to retaliate, Derek kicks one of his knees causing him unbalanced before placing a solid punch to his head as well. He can hear people quickly moving towards them but he can’t focus on what they are saying. His mind too blurry from the insistent earlier, his body just running on pure adrenaline. 

Without warning Jackson suddenly grabs his shirt again slamming him back into the wall. That's when his fist forms and Jackson throws punch after punch repeatedly at his head until someone -he thinks Parrish and Boyd- pull Jackson away from him. Without Jackson holding him up against the wall Derek falls the ground landing on his hands and knees shakily. He spits blood onto the floor and stares at it as he hears Jacksons voice shouting from the distance. 

"Don't touch my girlfriend like that again!" But it was clear the men were dragging him to the other side of the bar as his voice sounds far away. 

He can hear footsteps coming closer to him and he forces himself onto his feet as he leans against the wall for support. His head killing him and ribs aching as looks over to find the guys staring at him in disbelief. 

"Okay, a) are you okay? And b) what the hell did you do to his girlfriend? She's one of the nicest girls!" Stiles questions loudly glancing over towards where Jackson is hugging his now crying drunk girlfriend and Derek shakes his head. He knows nobody will believe him. A big, tall, strong guy against a crying nice girl with a boyfriend like Jackson. He knows it wouldn't matter what he says. 

"I'm leaving." Derek says in a rough voice, placing money on the bar for his last drink for Erica, who is trying to talk to Jackson and his girlfriend.

"Can you even drive?" Scott asks, his voice sounding harsh compared to his usual nice, happy tone. 

"Yes." Derek replies in a hoarse voice as he walks towards the front door, trying not to stumble as his head spins in pain.

"Derek!" Stiles' voice shouts but he doesn't turn around, he keeps walking. “Damn it, Derek!” He hears Stiles yell as he walks out the bar towards the ute.


	9. Chapter 9

"What the hell just happened?" Stiles questions as he watches the front door close and turns to face Scott. He's seen a bar fight before, they've been coming here for years so of course he has, but they were just pushing and shoving not an actual full on punch up. And it was Derek and Jackson! 

"Well Derek clearly pissed Jackson off by touching his girlfriend." Scott comments as both men stand frozen in shock staring at Derek's blood on the floor.

"Thank you, captain obvious!" Stiles replies shaking his head. Why would Derek touch Jacksons girlfriend? It doesn't make sense. 

"Stilinski!" Jacksons voice shouts catching his attention as he turns towards the voice to find Jackson, Boyd and Parrish walking over to them. "Keep your new friend away from my girl." 

"What even happened? What did Derek do? Is she okay?" Stiles asks because he was utterly confused, his girlfriend was crying so whatever Derek did must have been bad. 

"Her friends took her home. She said Derek came at her, starting touching her and wanting to take her home with him and shit like that!" Jackson says angrily and Stiles stands there shocked before anger washes over him. Derek had no right to do that, nobody has the right to do that to a woman. 

"That son of a bitch." Stiles mutters shaking his head. "I can't believe he would do something like that." 

"Well he did. And if I ever see his ugly face near my girl I won't hold back Stiles, he will get a lot more than bruised ribs and a smashed up face." Jackson states before turning and walking away. 

"What the hell had gotten into Derek?" Parrish questions looking between him and Scott but Stiles shrugs his shoulders. 

"He doesn't seem like the kind of person to do something like that." Boyd comments and Stiles shakes his head angrily.

"I can't believe I thought he was a good guy, Jacksons girlfriend seems so nice she didn't deserve that!" Stiles says a little more loudly than he probably should have but he doesn't care, right now he is pretty damn angry. What kind of sick asshole would touch someone like that without permission and say they'll take them home? 

"Maybe there's a reasonable explanation for this, when I was a deputy I came across scenarios like this but it was all just a miss understanding." Parrish says trying to make things better but Stiles shakes his head again. 

"There's no miss understanding. You saw her crying into Jacksons arms before! She clearly didn't want Derek touching her like he must have done!" Stiles shouts furiously, tomorrow morning he is going to have stern talking to Derek about what just happened.

"Guys lets just forget about it for tonight, it's only 11pm we still have a few hours of enjoying ourselves before we should head home. Let's just have a good time." Allison says and Stiles reluctantly nods, he will talk to Derek tomorrow. 

-

He pushes his foot down on the accelerator as he drives in the direction of the farm. He knows he's going over the speed limit but right now he does not care. His mind was buzzing with images and voices of Kate, his hands trembling as he grips the steering wheel tighter. 

By the time he pulls into the Stilinski driveway he feels like he's going to throw up. He speeds down the driveway hitting the breaks as he parks directly in front of the hut not bothering to park the farm ute in the shed. He climbs out the car stumbling inside the hut, only just managing to reach the toilet before being sick. 

After what feels like hours his body finishes throwing up the little food it had in it. His mind slowly clearing as he forces the memories of Kate out his head, leaving him breathless as he leans against the toilet seat. 

His ribs are aching furiously after throwing up and he knew he badly bruised a couple of them, he doesn't think he cracked them but it hurts every time he takes a deep breath. His head on the other hand was thumping. He knows he has a split lip and that he has some sort of bruise on his right cheek but he is sure his face looks worse than what he thinks after that many hits from Jackson. 

After a few minutes he flushes the toilet and shakily stands himself up, walking towards the sink. He leans against the basin looking up at the mirror staring at his reflection. His right cheek was a mixture of a large red and purple bruise which stretches up to his right eye which was already starting to bruise itself with his bottom lip split and swollen. 

He shakes his head looking away from his reflection before sitting down the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. He doesn't know what to do, the look on Stiles' face when he thought Derek was the bad guy in the situation and the girl was the victim is stuck in his mind. The look in this kids eyes... full of shock, disappointment and anger. He doesn't want to face Stiles or any of the guys. They probably think he did something to the girl which is why Jackson retaliated the way he did. 

As the hours slowly pass he hears the sound of their cars roll up towards the house and the sound of their muffled talking as they head to bed. Derek doesn't move, he sits there on the end of his bed praying none of them come to talk to him and thankfully they didn't. He doesn't bother trying to sleep. He knows he won't be able to and if by some miracle he does his dreams will be filled with Kate and the drunk girl from the bar and that is something Derek doesn't want to think about. 

He sits there until the sun begins to rise and doesn't go over to the cottage to have breakfast with the guys. He isn't hungry and really doesn't want to see or talk to them at the moment. He stands himself up slowly ignoring the pain in his ribs as he grabs a glass of water from the table. He knows he will eventually bump into one of the guys sooner or later but he just doesn't want to face them. He can only imagine what they are thinking of him right now after Jackson no doubt filled them full of lies. 

He walks over to the cupboard changing into his farm clothes, as he pulls his tank top up he notices the dark blue and purple bruises over the left side of his ribs. He brushes his hand over the bruises and winces at the sharp pain. Maybe Jacksons knee did crack a few ribs, Derek thinks to himself as he pulls his flannel over his tank top. 

He glances at the clock on wall noting that it's 6:30am and he walks out the door wanting to get away from the house and cottage before the others wake up. He puts his cowboy hat on as he walks down the driveway towards tool shed, grabbing his tool box as he makes his way towards the old tin shed where the motorbike is. He straps the toolbox to the back of the motorbike and kickstarts the engine with a groan as the sudden movement caused pain to erupt through his ribs. After a few seconds to get his breath back he puts the bike into gear and rides towards the furthest paddock. He noticed one of the fence lines looked really dodgy when he rode past yesterday and figured it was far away from the rest of the farm so the chances of one of the guys bumping into him was slim. 

 

It's late in the afternoon when he hears the familiar sound of Stiles' jeep approaching him. He doesn't turn around and stays kneeling in front of the fence twisting wire with his pliers. 

"You have a lot of explaining to do Derek!" Stiles voice shouts as he hears him slam the jeeps door shut. 

Derek closes his eyes for a few seconds trying to calm himself. Stiles is clearly pissed at him, he can only image what's running through the kids mind right now. "What the hell happened last night? You left Jacksons girlfriend crying in his arms and she told him exactly what you were doing to her and he told us everything!" 

Derek doesn't even respond, he just shakes his head still facing the fence with his back to Stiles. Nothing he could possibly say will make Stiles believe him, so what's the point?

"What even made you think it was a good idea to basically sexually assault that poor girl? You're lucky she's not pressing charges even though Jackson wants her too! What kind of sick fuck does something like that to someone?!" Stiles shouts and Derek couldn't help it and actually laughs. Of course she told everyone it was him who assaulted her and not the other way round. He shouldn't have expected anything less, if it's not Kate it's some other person twisting stories to make him sound like the bad guy. "Why the hell are you laughing?" 

Derek just shakes his head again as he continues to twist the barbed wire with the pliers wanting anything but this conversation with Stiles.

"You know what, fuck you Derek! I actually thought you were a decent guy but God I was wrong!" Stiles yells and Derek tightens his grip on the pliers trying to keep himself calm. "Just because you lost your fucking family in a fire doesn't give you the right to do whatever the hell you want to other people! Expecting it to be okay because you have a sad sappy story that will make people feel sorry for you!" Stiles shouts as the barbed wire snaps in the pliers and slices Derek's forearm.

"Shit." Derek mutters dropping he pliers with shaky hands.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Stiles questions angrily as Derek stands himself up gingerly with his sore ribs.

"She came at me!" He finally snaps staring at the ground with his back still to Stiles. "She sexually assaulted me! I told her stop, that I wasn't interested, but she kept touching me. The part Jackson saw was her kissing me before I pushed her off. I didn't do anything to her, I wouldn't do that not after what K... I wouldn't do that!" Derek shouts stoping himself from saying Kates name. 

"Bullshit." Stiles yells, he knew whatever he said Stiles won't believe and look what just happened. "She wouldn't do that, she's one of the nicest girls."

"She was drunk Stiles! She didn't know what she was doing." Derek explains closing his eyes, trying to stop his hands from shaking thinking about it.

"I spoke to her only an hour before the insistent, she wasn't drunk. Stop trying to cover up your fucking mistake!" Stiles yells. 

"She came at me! Go ask Erica if she was drunk or not!" Derek shouts turning for the first time to face Stiles, he knew his face looked like shit, he saw a glimpse of it this morning in the mirror. The bruising on his cheek and up to his eye darker and more fierce, his upper eye lid swollen black and red but he can still see out the eye. He stares at Stiles who takes a step back in shock staring at his face with a concerned and guilty look. Derek looks at him waiting for him to shout or yell back but he just stares at Derek speechless. He looks over Derek's body noticing how tired he looks and glances down at his hands which were trembling by his side. 

"Derek-" Stiles tries to say, his voice a lot more calmer but Derek shakes his head.

"Leave." Derek says his voice breaking at the end and Stiles face softens but he doesn't move. "Go!" Derek shouts and with that Stiles walks back to his jeep and takes off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, 
> 
> Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and for those who don’t celebrate Christmas I hope you’re having a fantastic holiday. 
> 
> If you are enjoying this fic please leave a kudos and comment because I honestly don’t know if anyone is liking this fic which makes me wonder if I should continue writing it or not... 
> 
> Anyway, I guess I’ll see you all in the New Year.


	10. Chapter 10

He was furious at Derek, all he wanted to do was punch the guy in the face and Stiles never wants to hurt anyone. He was beyond angry with the other man that he wasn't thinking straight. He didn't even try considering the other side of the story or even believed there was one. What if Derek was the telling the truth? Was Jacksons girlfriend drunk and did that to him? He has to talk to Erica to find out the truth because right now it was just Derek's word against Jackson and his girlfriend. 

He parks the jeep by the cattle yards where the others were currently tagging the new calfs. He spots Scott and Parrish separating the calfs and sees Boyd shutting the gates behind them. 

"Boyd!" Stiles shouts climbing out the jeep and jogging over towards him, climbing a couple fences in the process.

"You alright? Did you talk to Derek?" Boyd asks as Scott and Parrish stop what they were doing and walk over to the two of them.

"I did and now I don't know what to believe. I need Erica's phone number, I have to ask her a question which will clear things up." Stiles explains and Boyd nods pulling his phone before stopping.

"You don't have her number?" He asks and Stiles shakes his head.

"I've never needed to text her, we see her every Friday." Stiles replies while Boyd hands Stiles his phone as he copies her number into his. "Thanks man, I will be right back and hopefully with an understanding on what the hell happened last night." 

"Wait but didn't Jackson explain what happened? Derek sexually harassed his girlfriend." Scott comments but Stiles shakes his head.

"I think Parrish was right last night, there's been some sort of misunderstanding." Stiles replies as he walks back towards his jeep. 

He sits down in the drivers seat and pulls out his phone brining Erica's number up, he takes a deep breath before clicking the green call button and puts his phone to his ear. 

"Hello?" Erica's voice asks through the phone after the second ring and Stiles sighs in relief that she answered. 

"Hey, Erica its Stiles. I need to ask you a question about last night." He says. 

"I'm assuming it's about the whole Jackson and Derek thing?" Erica asks and Stiles nods before realising she can't see him. 

"Yeah." He answers before continuing. "Was Jacksons girlfriend drunk last night when she was with Derek?" 

"She was beyond drunk. I had to stop giving her drinks before she drank herself into alcohol poisoning." Erica explains and Stiles sighs. 

"Did you happened to see what was happening between her and Derek before Jackson started the fight?" Stiles asks not sure if he wants to know the answer or not.

"Yeah I did, tell Derek I'm so sorry I couldn't intervene I was busy trying to keep two old ladies from killing each other on the other side of the bar." Erica explains.

"What did you see between her and Derek?" Stiles asks closing his eyes scared of her answer.

"I saw bits and pieces when I wasn't holding one of the ladies back. Jacksons girlfriend came up to Derek as he was sitting watching you guys play pool. It seemed harmless at the time but then she began getting closer to him and touching him and I could tell Derek was panicked. I tried calling out to her to stop but the older ladies I was dealing with kept trying to attack each other, I couldn't help him. But God Stiles it was basically sexual assault. She jumped on him and kissed him and even I could tell Derek was close to having a panic attack. That's when Jackson stepped in and I think you know the rest from there. Anyway afterwards I went over to Jackson and his girlfriend and kicked her out of the bar, she's banned for six months now." Erica explains and Stiles sinks into his seat. 

"Fuck. Jackson told us that it was Derek who was assaulting her." Stiles mutters angry at himself for believing him. 

"Shit really? Does that mean none of you guys were there for him after it happened?" Erica asks and Stiles just wants to straight up punch himself in the face.

"No, he left as soon as Jackson finished punching his face in and I only just spoke to Derek an hour ago. Fuck. I yelled at him. I went off at him, oh my God." Stiles says realising what he had just done. Derek had been scared last night. She said he looked on the verge of a panic attack and then he gets beaten up and then Stiles yelled at him. He said some nasty things and even bought up Derek's dead family... what the hell has he done?

"Stiles, relax. You need to go talk to Derek. He needs to know he has someone who he can talk to. I've seen this happen before at the bar it's not pretty, you need to talk to him." Erica says and Stiles knows she's right but he doesn't know how to talk to him after what he’s just said to him. 

"Thank you Erica, I will." Stiles says hanging up the phone and staring at the screen when he hears footsteps. He looks up to find Scott, Parrish and Boyd walking towards him. 

"Guys, we fucked up." Stiles mutters turning in his chair the face his friends. "Derek was the one who got sexually assaulted by Jacksons girlfriend, Erica saw the whole thing. His girlfriend didn't leave with her friends after either she was kicked out the bar for six months by Erica." 

"Oh crap." Scott says softly looking over at the others. 

"Why did he just leave then and why has he been avoiding us all day?" Boyd asks.

"If he came to us and told us the truth would you have believed him? No. And he knew we wouldn't." Stiles says rubbing his eyes with his hands, he has really fucked up. 

"Far out and then he got beat up afterwards to top it all off." Parrish comments and Stiles nods. 

"I'm gonna go talk to him, make sure he knows we all know the truth and don't hate him." Stiles states starting the jeep and driving off towards the far paddock without letting the others reply. 

He drives through the gate to the paddock spotting Derek leaning against his bike, who turns hearing the sound of his jeep approaching. Stiles parks a few metres away climbing out the car quickly and nearly falling over in the process. Derek doesn't move, his back facing Stiles as he leans against the bike.

"I owe you the biggest apology! Erica saw most of what happened and explained everything to me. Fuck, I'm the biggest dickhead. I am so sorry." Stiles apologies. "Are you okay? Not just with your physical injuries." Stiles asks as he walks around the bike now standing in front of Derek but a few metres back giving the man some space. He was leaning on his bike still but staring at the ground with his head hung low. 

"I'm fine." Derek responds and Stiles fights not to roll his eyes. Derek’s definitely a man of many words. 

"Do you want to talk about it? I'm here if you want to alright. I told the guys that Jackson lied to us and they don't hate you or anything, so you don't need to avoid them. Please Derek, I was a complete dickhead, I'm so sorry, you probably hate me now and that's fair enough I-" Stiles says until he gets cut off. 

"I don't hate you, it's not your fault. I hate myself for letting it happen." Derek responds and Stiles hates the way Derek’s voice sounds so weak. He just wants to wrap him up in a hug and tell him that everything will be okay. 

"You didn't let it happen, you were victim Derek and then Jackson hurt you. Shit, I just stood there and watched as you got hurt." Stiles says shaking his head hating himself even more.

"I could have dealt with Jackson but I wasn't focused, I couldn't concentrate and could barely fight back. I would have been dead if Jackson was K..." Derek begins to say but stops himself, Stiles looks at him waiting for him to continue but he doesn't. Who is this person starting with a K? This is the second time Derek has nearly said it, who the hell is this person?

"If Jackson was nearly who?" Stiles asks watching Derek careful.

"Nobody, it doesn't matter." Derek mutters shaking his head as he looks up at Stiles for the first time. His heart feels like it's breaks as he looks at the older man seeing the redness around his eyes. 

"Alright, stop working on this fence and come back with me to house. Dads got a late shift tonight so he won't be home till late. I'll make tea and then we can just watch tv or do whatever for the rest of the night. You need a break Derek." Stiles says and Derek nods. "Good, I'll meet you at the house in an hour to give you a chance to have a shower." 

-

He didn't want to be so weak in front of Stiles but he knew his eyes would have looked like he'd been crying and he was tired of pretending he was okay. If Jackson was Kate then she could have easily killed him. He wasn't focused and couldn't even defend himself.

"So dad shouldn't be home till past midnight so we have at least five hours to watch tv before he comes home and yells at us for being up so late." Stiles explains taking a bite of pizza and Derek nods. 

After a few minutes Derek finishes two slices before pushing his plate away. He wasn't hungry to begin with but Stiles went out of his way make this pizza, he feels rude if he doesn’t eat at least some of it.

"You can have more." Stiles says covering his mouth as he talks with food in it.

"Not hungry, but thanks." Derek replies as he reaches across the table grabbing the jug of water and winces at the pain it causes his ribs from stretching across.

"Hey I saw that, what's wrong?" Stiles quickly asks worry evident in his tone. 

"It's nothing." Derek replies looking at him but it was clear Stiles wasn't buying it and he sighs. "Jackson kneed me in the ribs and their bruised I think, I don't reckon they're broken so it's fine." 

"Far out, show me your ribs." Stiles says standing up, walking over to him on the other side of the table. 

"It's fine, Stiles." Derek insists because he knows it looks worse than it actually is. 

"No, show me now or I won't let you pick what we watch on tv." He says crossing his arms over his chest and Derek raises his eyebrows well at least tries to but it's a bit hard with his right one since his eye lid is bruised and swollen. 

"Alright, but it looks worse than it is." Derek says standing up as he lifts his flannel and tank top up to this chest. He looks over at Stiles who's eyes go wide. "It's not that bad." 

"Derek! Why the hell didn't you tell me? That looks like you at least crack some ribs!" Stiles says shaking his head as he stares at the dark purple and red bruises covering the left side of his rib cage. 

"There's nothing you can do, it's too late to put ice on it." Derek says pulling his shirt back down. "It's fine, now what kind of video games do you have?" He asks and Stiles grins. 

After a couple hours they had swapped from playing baseball on the PlayStation 4 against each other to now playing some game called Crash Bandicoot. It's safe to say that Derek sucks at the game. It’s a single player game so every time they die they give the other person the controller for their turn. 

"Far out this game is frustrating." Derek mutters as dies for the seventh time at the same point in the game and Stiles loses it laughing. 

"Welcome to the club, it's a fun game but God it drives me nuts sometimes. I can't play this game with Scott it pisses him off to much so we just play Call of Duty instead." Stiles says as Derek hands him the remote. 

"How do you get past those stupid turtles so easily? I give up, this game is rigged." Derek says leaning back into the couch with defeat with a small smile as Stiles laughs.

-

"Stop." Derek mutters in his sleep as he rolls around on the couch, the movement causing Stiles to jolt awake. He sits up quickly confused for a few seconds before he realises him and Derek fell asleep playing video games. He looks at the other end of the couch spotting Derek lying on his back, his shirt lifted up slightly showing his very distinct abs. 

"Stop... Kate, I don't want to do this." Derek mutters softly snapping Stiles out his day dream as he realises Derek was talking in his sleep. Kate. That must be the person he nearly said earlier that starts with a K. Who's Kate?

He looks away from Derek's abs noticing the sweat glistening on his forehead above his dark bloodied bruise. He shouldn't be sweating it's not hot in here, Stiles thinks to himself when Derek begins to toss and turn on the couch. Stiles stands up quickly avoiding Derek from kicking him. He thinks about waking Derek up, he was clearly having some sort of nightmare but Derek stops and his face relaxes again. 

Stiles stays there for a few minutes making sure he was okay before walking into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. 

He glances up at the clock noting that's it's only 10:30 at night, they must have been tired if they fell asleep that early. He goes to fill his glass up with water again when Derek suddenly shouts from the lounge room.

"LAURA!" 

Stiles drops the glass and rushes into the lounge room to find Derek still lying on the couch his face twisted in pain. 

"No. No. Laura." Derek whimpers and Stiles drops to his knees next to Derek on the couch and shakes his shoulders.

"Derek, wake up." Stiles says softly wanting to get him out of whatever nightmare he was facing. "Derek." Stiles says louder shaking his shoulders more and suddenly Derek's eyes fly open and he sits up quickly scrambling to the other side of the couch in panic.

"Stiles?" Derek asks looking over at him in confusion as he tries to catch his breath.

"Yeah it's me, I'm here. You just had a nightmare." Stiles says softly and Derek sighs leaning back into the couch grabbing the left side of his ribs over his shirt. 

"Sorry." Derek replies closing his eyes as he takes a deep breath.

"Don't apologise, I get nightmares sometimes too, started after my mother died and haven't really gone away. I know how much they suck so don't say sorry. Do you get them often?" Stiles asks sitting on the edge of the couch next to Derek.

"Every night." He replies staring at the ground and Stiles looks at him in shock which he seems to be doing a fair bit these days. Every night? Far out. 

"It's only 10:30, want a coffee or hot chocolate? Maybe a hot chocolate, if you have a coffee you won't be able to fall asleep later." Stiles says not knowing how to respond to Derek's answer.

"Coffee will be fine. I know I won't be able to fall asleep later anyway." Derek responds his voice turning back to normal as he sits up properly on the couch. 

Five minutes later the two men were sitting back on the couch drinking their hot drinks. 

"You were talking in your sleep." Stiles comments taking a sip of his drink. "Who's Kate?" He asks and Derek freezes not knowing what to say. 

"I'd rather not talk about it." He admits staring down at his drink, before Stiles could reply the sound of the front door opening and closing fills the air.

"Stiles?" The Sheriff voice calls through the house and Stiles looks towards the door.

"In the lounge room. Why are you home so early?" Stiles shouts placing his mug on the floor. 

"Finished all the work I needed to for the night." The Sheriff responds as he appears at the doorway leaning against the door. "Oh afternoon Derek, I didn't know you were here." 

Stiles glances to Derek who was staring at his mug with his head low and Stiles suddenly realises Derek doesn't want the sheriff to see his injuries. 

"Sorry Sheriff, I was just leaving." Derek responds putting his mug on the floor as he stands up gingerly and Stiles knew his ribs were hurting him.

"Are you alright son?" The Sheriff asks turning the light on in the room and Stiles knew there was no hiding the bruises on Derek's face now. He looks over at his Dad as his face goes wide with shock, concern and anger. 

"Derek, what happened?" His Dad questions sternly walking into the room until he was standing in front of Derek. Stiles not knowing what to do just sits there watching his father trying to workout what he was possibly thinking. "Who the hell did this to you son?" His Dad asks in a tone Stiles has rarely heard.

"It's nothing sir, I'm fine." Derek responds looking down at the ground. 

"Derek answer me, who the hell did this? Was it them? Did they find you?" His Dad questions in a slightly fearful voice as he grabs Derek's chin gently tilting his head so he could get a better look at the bruises. What is his dad talking about? Who is trying to find Derek?

"No. No, it was just a misunderstanding at the bar, it's fine." Derek replies shaking his head. His Dad doesn't say anything for a while just stares at Derek until he finally nods and gestures towards the couch as they both sit down next to Stiles. 

"Hang on, Dad, who did you think hurt Derek? Why did you say 'was it them'? Who the hell is 'them'?" Stiles questions glancing between his father and Derek. 

"It's nothing Stiles, I was just jumping to conclusions." His father says like that is a reasonable answer but it totally isn't. 

"That doesn't answer my question." He responds frowning at his Dad but it was Derek who replies first.

"It's not important Stiles, please drop it." Derek says and usually Stiles wouldn't drop it, he likes to know exactly what's happening and not being left in the dark. But the tone in Derek's voice made him nod in agreement. 

-

He can't get the look on the Sheriff's face out of his head when he first saw the bloodied bruises on his face. The man looked scared, worried and angry all with the same expression and with the tone in his voice, he sounded ready to shoot the person responsible. It reminded Derek of his own father that time when both him and Laura came home from school with matching black eyes. His father had the same expression as the Sheriff did last night and Derek smiles remembering the moment. His father questioned what happened and who done it and Laura responded with, "You should see the other guy! He tried to start a fight with Derek. Which was a bad move, Derek landed a solid punch to his face and I happened to walk past at the same time and lets just say he probably won't be able to have kids in the future." Laura had said and they cracked up laughing. Laura always had his back against bullies at school, she always had his back with anything. 

Derek shakes his head at the memory as he puts his hat on and walks out the hut towards the cottage. 

"Derek!" Scott shouts in a friendly tone as he spots the older man walking towards them.

"Hope you like pancakes man, because these idiots didn't want to walk to the chicken coop to get fresh eggs." Parrish says behind his barbecue as he pours pancake batter onto the hot plate.

"Hey! You didn't get the eggs either Parrish." Boyd says in defence and Derek rolls his eyes at the familiar banter between the farm hands.

"Pancakes sound good to me." Derek says taking a seat as Boyd passes him a glass of cold water.

"How's your bruises dude? They look painful." Scott asks looking over at him with concerned puppy eyes. 

"Believe it or not I've had worse, so I think I'll live." Derek answers truthfully taking a drink of his water.

"Well you better live because you're the only one who can fix that stupid old slasher." Stiles voice calls and Derek turns to find the boy walking towards them with his signature smile. Derek watches him as he greets the farm hands, noticing the way his work jeans hug his ass as he walks towards Scott. 

"Wait, don't tell me it's broken again?" Derek suddenly asks realising what he was staring and scared what he will do if he lets his mind wonder any further on the topic.

"Yep." Stiles responds popping the 'p' "It's official, I am banning Parrish from using the slasher for the rest of his life." 

"Hey! It's not my fault it's ancient and on its death bed." Parrish speaks up and Stiles rolls his eyes.

"It doesn't break when Scott and I use it! So it's definitely you Parrish." Boyd responds and Scott nods in agreement. 

"If you guys want pancakes I suggest you shut up." Parrish comments causing Derek and Stiles to laugh as Scott and Boyd both shut up immediately. 

 

After 20 minutes they had all eaten their fair share of pancakes and helped wash the dishes back inside the cottage. 

"Isaac is coming here with the truck at noon to pick up the other half of heifers. So we need to move the cows from the East pasture paddock into the cattle yards, ready to be loaded into the truck." Stiles explains and they all nod. Derek hasn't moved or mustered cattle at the Stilinski farm yet, he's done it hundreds of times on other farms so he knows how to do it. "We might as well do it now before it gets even hotter, that way when Isaac gets here we can load the girls straight away."

"Lets hope it'll easier than last time, the damn cows wouldn't go through that bloody gate." Parrish mutters and they all nod minus Derek.

"Lets go, saddle up your horses and meet by the gate to the paddock." Stiles says and with that Scott, Boyd and Parrish walk off towards the farm ute. 

"Is it alright if I ride the motorbike?" Derek asks turning to Stiles who was standing next to him and he nods.

"Yeah of course, I remember you saying you don't ride horses anymore so that's cool." Stiles replies and Derek sighs with relief knowing if he had to ride a horse he wouldn't be able to do it, not after what happened to Paige. He can barely watch people riding them let alone saddle one up himself.

"You know I will eventually get it out of you." Stiles says and Derek turns to him confused by the statement. "The reason you don't ride anymore, I will eventually get it out of you. I'm good at stuff like that." 

"You mean most people get sick of you constantly asking and just tell you so you shut up?" Derek asks raising his eyebrows and by the grin appearing on Stiles' face he will take it as a yes. 

"Do you like horses? Are you good at handling them?" Stiles ask as they both begin walking towards the horse stables. 

"I don't hate horses and yeah I'm good at handling them. My mother use to train horses and taught me how to as well." Derek responds staring at his boots as they continue walking. 

"Is that why you don't ride them anymore? They remind you of your mother? Shit, sorry that's an awful question." Stiles says shaking his head at himself.

"That's not the reason." Derek replies and Stiles nods.

"You really aren't gonna tell me are you?" Stiles asks and Derek shakes his head causing Stiles to throw his hands up in defeat. "I will get it out of you eventually Derek, just like I will eventually work out why my Dad went full protective mode on you last night when he saw the bruises. The two of you aren't telling me something that part is clear and alright it's non of my business I get that but it's bugging me that I don't know. There's a lot of things I don't know about you but I will eventually work it out. I'm the son of a cop after all, never doubt me." Stiles says and Derek agrees, he knows Stiles will either eventually work it out himself, he's a smart kid and picks up things that most people wouldn't or he will google it, but until he finds out his last name the googling part will be a bit tricky.

"I don't doubt that." Derek simply replies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> So I had a request to try make the chapters a bit longer, hence why this chapter is longer than the others. I will be making the rest of the chapters roughly this length as well so get ready for new larger chapters every Thursday :)
> 
> Hope you all are having a great day!  
> Until next time, stay safe everyone see you next week.


	11. Chapter 11

"Shit! Derek!" Stiles shouts over the thundering noise of cattle, horses and a motorbike as they herd the heifers in the direction of the yards. 

"Got it!" Derek yells spotting where Stiles was looking to find 10 cows veering off to the left. He shifts up a gear turning quickly to cut off the stubborn cattle that don't want to follow the herd. He gets there just in time and the 10 cows come to a halt in front of him and suddenly change direction. Swearing under his breath he pulls the throttle hard, nearly causing him to fall off the back of the bike in the sudden speed. He keeps his balance and goes after the cows, pointing to Parrish who nods turning his horse to help. 

"There's always one lot in ever herd who don't want to behave." Parrish shouts cutting them off leaving them no choice but to follow the rest of the cows as Derek blocks their other exit.

After an hour Boyd finally shuts the gate as the last cow walks into the cattle yards. It was a fair distance to move the cows, the paddock they were in was roughly 5km away from the yards but they managed to get it done in nearly record speed. The boys tie their horses reins to the fence in the shade of the large oak tree and Derek turns the motorbike off parking it under the tree. 

"So is this lot the last of the heifers from this years breeding?" Boyd asks and Stiles nods.

"Yep, they're the last of them so in a few months we will put the bulls out with the old girls again." Stiles explains and they all nod.

"So you’re not a horse person Derek?" Parrish asks nodding towards the motorbike.

"I'd rather a motorbike." Derek answers truthfully. He knew if he says something like 'I use to' then the questions would begin and he doesn't want to deal with that. 

"Fair enough." Parrish replies taking his hat off, trying to use it as a fan. "I wasn't much of a horse person when I first started working here but this girl." Parrish says patting his black mare. "We both took to each other after the sheriff bought her a few weeks after I started working here. Basically love at first sight." 

"You're so gonna die alone Parrish." Scott comments causing Boyd and Stiles to laugh and Derek smiles shaking his head.

"Hey! At least my horse likes other people."  
Parrish says defensively.

"He's got you there Scotty." Stiles says tapping Scott's back who rolls his eyes.

"Well I have trained her well because she clearly doesn't like you idiots." Scott replies. 

"And then there's Boyd who just grabs the nearest horse when a job needs to be done." Stiles states and Boyd shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't care what horse I have as long as it's not Scott's then I don't care." He replies and they all laugh turning to the horses behind them. 

"So what time is Isaac getting here?" Scott asks leaning against the fence with every one else.

"Around noonish, so meet back here at noon?" Stiles asks and they all nod. "Alrighty cool, now off to work slackers." 

"You're not our boss Stiles." Scott states climbing back onto his brown mare.

"I'm the bosses only child and when he's not here I'm the boss." Stiles replies poking his tongue out at his best friend and Derek couldn't help but smile. 

The farm hands climb onto their horses and begin heading off in various directions, all setting off to different jobs around the farm. 

"Everyone has a story about their horses well minus Boyd, what about you?" Derek asks watching Stiles as he unties the reins on the fence giving his white mare a pat.

"Ain't saying until you tell me your story with horses." Stiles states turning to him and Derek looks away shaking his head. Imagines of Paige flashing through his mind, one minute her happy bubbly smile as they both race to the gate on the horses. Then the next minute her horse acting funny and by the time Derek spots the snake on the ground it was too late. Paige's horse was already freaking out and there was nothing he could do but watch as she gets bucked off the horse, her head slamming into the wooden fence post as her limp body falls to the ground. The images afterwards hazy, he remembers jumping off his horse, not caring where the snake was at the point. He remembers pulling her body onto his lap, her heartbeat barely there as he screams for help until the faint heartbeat disappears entirely. He sat there crying with her in his arms and that's exactly how his mother found him after what feels like hours later. Since that day he has never sat back on a horse, let alone ride one.

Derek closes his eyes shaking his head trying to get rid of the memory as Stiles speaks again.

"Damn I thought that would get you to tell me, you really aren't going to are you?" And Derek shakes his head again.

"Aw well I tried. Anyway my story isn't that big, Angel here use to be my mothers horse before she passed away." Stiles explains and Derek suddenly feels guilty for bringing the topic up, he knows how much it hurts talking about this stuff.

"I'm sorry" Derek says looking back up at Stiles who just smiles shaking his head.

"Nah, it's okay. My mother loved this horse, she taught me how to ride properly on Angel too so it just felt right to continue riding her after she passed away. It's sort of my way of carrying on her love and passion for horses and Angel in particular I guess if that makes sense? I don't know. Dad wanted to sell her but I couldn't bring myself to agree. I guess by selling Angel it would be like throwing away apart of my mother and I can't do that, I will never do that." Stiles says turning to the horse patting her again.

"I get that, you don't want to get rid of her because it would feel like your letting go one of the pieces left of your mother." Derek says feeling all to familiar with that feeling. 

"Exactly." Stiles replies with a soft smile and for whatever reason that smiles causes Derek to fight back his own smile.

-

"Good to meet you man, well officially meet you anyway. I remember seeing you walking up the Stilinski's driveway. Thank you for not being a thief or murder too by the way." Isaac greets shaking his hand. 

"Good to meet you too." Derek replies with a friendly nod as the others walk over to them after shutting the back of the semi-truck up. 

"How much are you hoping to get for these cows?" Isaac asks turning to Stiles as he appears next to Derek.

"3-4 per kilogram if the prices stay like how they are. Much better than the last lot you transported for us." Stiles answers receiving a shocked look from Isaac.

"Damn that's really good, your dad definitely made the right decision by waiting till now." Isaac says and they nod in agreement. "Scott by the way, Allison's Dad totally knows you're secretly dating his daughter. So you might want to come clean before he finds you first." Isaac informs and Scott's face turns white.

"It was bound to happen eventually McCall, it's your own fault for putting it off for so long." Boyd responds patting him on the shoulder.

"I am so dead." Scott mutters putting his head in his hands causing Stiles to laugh grabbing Derek's shoulder for support as he nearly falls over from laughing so hard. 

"Stiles c'mon, you're meant to be my best friend, help me." Scott begs and Derek rolls his eyes stoping himself from telling the teenager to man up and deal with it himself.

"Alright. Alright. How about we invite them both here for a barbecue tea under the new outdoors setting dad set up out the back of the house or something? That way he can't really kill you if we are all there." Stiles says with a chuckle. 

"Can we really do that?" Scott asks with hopeful eyes.

"I don't see why not, it's been ages since we've done something like that, does next Friday night suit everyone?" Stiles asks. 

"Works for me, saves us driving to the bar to have a few drinks and socialise." Parrish comments and Derek nods in agreement not wanting to ever go back to that bar. He would much rather sit around with Stiles and the others with a few drinks. 

"So I'll see you fellas Friday night. Tell the sheriff I said hi." Isaac says walking towards his truck.

"See you then, Lahey." The guys say as the curly hair boy waves before climbing into the truck that Derek recognises from a few weeks ago when he first came to the Stilinski farm. But he still can't figure out why the name written on the truck seems so familiar. There was a name written in bold black writing on the wind deflector, but it’s written in French. Which is why he's confused on why it seems familiar and it gives him an uneasy feeling. 

-

The rest of the week goes by fairly quickly, Derek stuck to himself most days when working doing odd jobs all over the farm, from fixing gutters on sheds to catching chickens when Scott left the gate open on their coop. He has breakfast and lunch with the farm hands and eats tea by himself now that he has food in the hut. But that never stopped Stiles from coming to the hut after tea to sit with him outside on the rails of the hut. They would talk for a few hours or just sit there in silence with each other's company watching the stars. It was never awkward and on the nights Stiles is busy hanging out with Scott or keeping his dad company Derek found himself missing the younger mans company. The boy he had warmed up to slowly over time with the sarcastic, witty comments, unique moles tracing his pale skin and no brain to mouth filter, somehow during the past month that kid. Stiles. Has managed to slide his way into Derek's life to the point where Derek can honestly say he trusts Stiles and that is something he can't say for anyone else which scares the hell out of him.

He shakes his head from the thought as he continues trying to fix the water pipe next to the trough in one of the far paddocks of the farm. He noticed it leaking slightly on Monday, it was nothing major and he had only just got around to fixing it today, Wednesday.

He continues fixing the pipe when he hears a horse trotting in his direction. He looks up to find Stiles heading towards him. 

"Hey Derek, can you come to the old tin shed when you're done there and help me move the old tractor?" Stiles calls and Derek nods as Stiles turns his horse heading in the direction of the tin shed. 

After five minutes he finishes with the pipe before packing away his tools and climbing onto his motorbike, heading towards the old tin shed which was behind the Stilinski's newest shed. 

He rides down the side of the new shed heading for the old shed. In hindsight he should‘ve slowed down driving around the shed but he didn't want to keep Stiles waiting. 

Suddenly Stiles comes around the corner of the shed on Angel, right in front of him. 

"Shit." Derek mutters only with seconds to react. He quickly hits the breaks turning left to dodge the horse and Stiles. But the sudden breaking and the sharp turn causes Derek to lose control as he rides straight into fence. Luckily for him the fence is old and breaks as soon as the bike hits it but the impact causes the bike to flip out from underneath him as him and the bike crash into the pasture paddock. He hits the ground hard landing next to his destroyed bike as sudden pain explodes in his right knee. He screams out in pain grabbing his knee automatically as he lies on the ground now biting his lip to stop himself from screaming. He glances towards the sheds making sure Stiles was okay and he spots the boy on his horse racing towards him. 

"Holy shit. Derek!" Stiles shouts as his horse jumps over the fence. "Fuck, how hurt are you?" He asks and Derek goes to answer when out of no where Stiles' horse suddenly stops trotting towards him and starts moving around like the ground was on fire. Derek's heartbeat suddenly skyrockets knowing the panicked way horses react when there's a snake near them. 

"Stiles! Get Angel away from the snake!" Derek shouts sitting himself up against the bike to try spot the snake as he glances up at Stiles who was 10 metres away. Stiles' face turns white hearing the word snake. He quickly looks down to the ground where his horse was moving frantically and Derek could pick the exact moment Stiles spots the snake. 

"Shit!" He shouts pulling on the reins to make Angel get the hell out of the area but the horse was too panicked to follow orders even Derek knew that. "God damn it. Derek she won't move and the snake is right under us!" Stiles shouts turning to him with a panicked expression. 

"I know I can see it, talk to Angel try and calm her down." Derek instructs holding back a groan as he tries bending his knee.

"It's not working, I'm scared. Derek what do I do?" Stiles shouts frantically with a worried voice. 

"It's okay, you just need to calm her down Stiles." Derek says with a calm voice knowing if he starts to panic then Stiles will panic even more and that's not gonna help anyone. 

"I'm trying." Stiles replies when suddenly Angel stands on her two back legs and Derek could see the snake attached to one of her legs. "Shit!" Stiles shouts unable to hold on as he falls backwards off the horse. 

The pain in Derek’s leg the last thing on his mind as he forces himself to stand up as he watches in horror as Stiles’ head hits the dirt and the snake moves from the horse to the boy slowly trying to get up off the floor. Within milliseconds the snake strikes at Stiles’ leg and there was nothing Derek could do as Stiles screams in pain.

"Stiles!" Derek yells, limping towards him as the snake legs go of his leg and disappears through the tall grass. 

"Fuck." Stiles mutters lying on his back as Derek sits down beside him m the best he could with his knee. "It bit me, on the leg." Stiles quickly says trying to sit up but Derek pushes him back down. 

"I know. Lie down and try to calm your breathing, the slower your heart rate the better." Derek instructs pulling Stiles jeans up over his ankle to find two red slightly swollen dots. 

"I couldn't see the snake, could you tell what type it was?" Stiles questions. 

"Shut up, stop talking." Derek replies as he rips his flannel off leaving him in a white tank top. He quickly wraps the material tightly around Stiles ankle working his way up his leg to his knee to try stop the blood flow as much as possible. 

"Stiles we need to get you to the hospital-" Derek begins to say when suddenly the boy sits himself up on his elbow and throws up on the ground next to him. Shit, that's a bad sign, that's a very bad sign, Derek thinks not daring to say it out loud knowing it will freak Stiles out even more. "I'm going to carry you to the farm ute, if you try walk it will pump the your blood and the poison around your body 10 times faster. I'll take you to the hospital, you're gonna be fine." Derek says once the boy finishes throwing up and he just nods in response trying to get his breath back. 

He lifts the boy up in his arms ignoring the screaming pain from his knee as he walks towards the shed suddenly grateful he parked the farm ute next to the shed. 

"Wait my horse." Stiles says trying to point towards where they just were.

"I'll get Scott to come get her and make sure she's okay." Derek responds as he opens the passenger door placing Stiles in and limps back to the drivers door as Stiles puts his seat belt on. 

He starts the Toyota putting it into gear and quickly takes off. He speeds past the farm house driving down the driveway before turning right, heading straight for Beacon Hills. 

"How are you feeling? Does it hurt?" Derek asks glancing at Stiles who was fighting to keep his eyes open. 

"The bite burns, got the worst headache and feel really dizzy, am I going to die?" Stiles asks and Derek turns to him. Stiles' face full of pain and sadness and Derek shakes his head.

"No you're not going to die, I won't let that happen. You're going to be fine Stiles, Alright? You're going to be fine." Derek replies more so trying to convince himself than Stiles. He pushes his foot down harder on the accelerator biting his lip to stop himself from groaning from the pain the action causes his knee.

*5 minuets later*

He glances over at Stiles who was now more pale than usual with sweat glistening on his forehead. He needs to get Stiles to the hospital now! 

"Derek." Stiles mutters turning his head and their eyes lock. "I know the signs of a bad snake bite, promise me you won't let my dad start drinking again. He did badly after my mother died, don't let him fall back into that habit." Stiles says and Derek shakes his head.

"Stop talking like that. I won't need to do that because you aren't going anywhere, okay? There is no way I am letting that happen." Derek states and Stiles smiles softly and nods. 

He turns back to the road tapping his thumb on the steering wheel anxiously. His other hand grabbing his knee trying to stop the pain, but it doesn't work. 

"Fuck! You were just in a bike crash, how badly are you hurt?" Stiles suddenly questions noticing the way Derek’s grabbing his knee. 

"I'm fine, just focus on yourself alright. I'm fine." Derek responds as they speed in the direction of the town. After 10 minutes of silence Derek glances back to Stiles noticing he's been too quiet and hasn't moved for a while and he sees Stiles' eyes slipping shut. 

"Hey. Stiles stay with me alright, don't go to sleep." Derek says placing his hand on the boys thigh giving it a slight squeeze. "Stay with me Stiles." 

" 'm trying." Stiles mutters sleepily turning his head and their eyes lock. 

"Focus on me alright. Stiles listen to my voice. Stay with me, please." Derek quickly says trying to hide the panic in his voice but he knew he was failing. 

"Der it's okay." Stiles says softly placing his hand on top of Derek's.

-

"Someone help me, he's been bitten by a snake!" Derek shouts as bursts through the hospital doors with Stiles in his arms passed out. 

"Derek?" A woman's voice asks and Derek looks at the front desk to find Scott's mum standing there before her face goes pale recognising Stiles unconscious in his arms. "Oh my god, Stiles. I need assistance, snake bite!" Melissa shouts into some radio thing before running over to them. 

"How long ago?" She asks reaching there side and rushing Derek towards some hallway as he tries his best to hide his limp.

"Half an hour ago, I think." Derek responds as he clears his throat not liking how rough his voice sounds.

"Bring him in this room!" A man shouts appearing from a door at the other end of the hallway. Derek turns to Melissa who nods and they both rush into the room. There was already a gurney and IV pole in the room waiting for them along with a couple nurses and a doctor. Derek places Stiles down on the gurney gently following the mans orders. 

"We need to examine him before we do anything, young man you need to go wait in the waiting room." The doctor says turning to Derek before walking over to Stiles' unconscious body. 

"I'm not leaving him." Derek quickly says not taking his eyes off the boy in fear that if he does, he will never see him again. 

"Sir, you need to leave now." The doctor repeats and before Derek can protest Melissa starts talking.

"Derek honey, come with me. Stiles is in good hands trust me. I need you to come with me so I can ask your questions to help Stiles while they examine him, this is serious, please." Melissa says calmly and Derek nods letting himself be led out the door by the older woman. 

They walk into the waiting room taking a seat away from other The people in the room before the nurse starts asking him questions.

"I need you to be completely honest, this information can help Stiles because if I'm being honest he doesn't look good. Now firstly how did this happen?" Melissa asks and Derek closes his eyes for a second to compose himself before telling her the quick version of what happened leaving out the part about the motorbike crash.

"So he hit his head falling off the horse? Was it hard enough to give him concussion?" Melissa asks and Derek nods. "Alright, I know Stiles has never been bitten before so we can skip that question. What was his symptoms? Did he tell you?" 

"He said the bite burned, headache, he threw up like I said before, pale skin, sweating and fainting obviously." Derek answers leaning his arms on his thighs as he stares at the ground nervously. 

"You did the right thing by bringing him here straight away and I don't even want to think about the amount of road rules you broke getting here because I know it takes longer than 30 minutes to get to the farm but you did the right thing." Melissa says with a soft smile and Derek nods not knowing what else to do. It should have been him. Stiles doesn’t deserve this. Hell if he didn't crash the bike then Stiles wouldn't have been in the paddock where the snake was to begin with. He can't lose Stiles too, the Sheriff can't lose Stiles... the Sheriff!

"Someone needs to call the Sheriff! He doesn't know and call Scott or someone at the farm none of them know either. Fuck, Stiles’ horse, his mothers horse, the snake bit it too. They need to find the horse and get a vet there as soon as possible!" Derek quickly says turning to Melissa. 

"Relax Derek it's okay, I will go call Scott he can find the horse and I will send Dr Deaton to the farm right now. That man owes me a favour so he will get there as soon as possible." She says and Derek nods trying to think of anything else he has forgotten.

"Don't forget the Sheriff, he needs to know. I should have called him off Stiles’ phone or something." Derek says shaking his head but Melissa grabs his shoulder and he meets her eye. 

"You did everything you could to get Stiles here which is exactly what the Sheriff would want." She states and Derek nods slightly. "Now I'm going to make a few calls but don't worry the horse will be fine and the Sheriff will be here soon." She says walking back towards the front desk. Once she was out of sight Derek looks down at his right leg which was barely bent as he sits in the chair. He was glad Melissa didn't notice. She would have wanted to get it checked out and that meant paper work and signing his name down and that's something he won't risk. If his name is written down on stuff like medical papers it would be easy for Kate to find and he knows it. 

After a few minutes but what feels like hours for Derek he hears the sound of the doctors voice and he looks up to find the same doctor standing by the hallway towards the room Stiles was in. He takes a closer look at the doctor and not liking the expression he has as he calls for Melissa. 

"Derek, come here." Melissa shouts and without hesitation he rushes over to the two ignoring the sharp pain in his knee.

"He's in a bad way. I need you to describe to me what the snake looked like so we can figure out what snake it was to give Stiles the right antidote." The doctor says and Derek takes a couple seconds to process what he meant by 'he's in a bad way' 

"Derek, what did the snake look like?" Melissa ask her voice no longer calm and more like panicked. 

"It was a copperhead snake." Derek suddenly says looking back towards the doctor. 

"Are you absolutely sure?" The doctor asks sternly looking at him and Derek nods.

"It was a copperhead snake. I saw it clearly." Derek replies.

"Derek are you completely sure? Because if we give him the wrong antidote then it could make things worse." Melissa says. 

"Yes it was a copperhead snake! You're wasting time, go help him!" Derek shouts desperately and with that the doctor and Melissa rush back towards Stiles' room and Derek follows determined to be there for Stiles. 

"No sir, you can't come in." The doctor says but Derek shakes his head.

"I am not letting him be alone!" Derek shouts getting angrier by the second. Stiles is lying there unconscious by himself without anyone, like hell Derek will let him go through this alone.

"Only family is allowed, you have to stay in the waiting room." The doctor states and Derek has to stop himself from hurting the doctor knowing it won't do any good.

"He won't be alone Derek. Stiles is like a son to me." Melissa says and Derek shakes his head.

"Is he going to be okay?" He asks desperately as they reach the door. 

"I don't think you'll like my honest answer, but we will do everything we can to help him. Justin take this young man to the waiting room." The doctor says nodding to Derek as a tall muscular man in security uniform walks towards him. 

Derek doesn't move, he just stares as the doctor and Melissa close the door after themselves. The security guard tries telling him to move to the waiting room but Derek doesn't even blink an eye. The doctor had basically said that Stiles isn't going to be okay... he won't make it. Stiles is going to die in there and there's nothing he can even do about it! 

Derek doesn't even notice the security guard pushing him into the waiting room until he's being forced into the seat and grabs his knee in pain from the sudden movement. He stays where the guard pushed him on one of the far seats away from the other few people in the waiting room. He leans his elbows on his thighs with his head in his hands trying to calm himself down. His body was shaking uncontrollably as he tries to slow his breathing but he can’t. Stiles is going to die... He promised himself he would never get attached to anyone again since Kate. Yet Stiles had somehow gotten him to break that promise without even knowing it and now he's going to die! 

He could feel the water building up in his eyes as he rubs them. This can't be happening, this can't be happening.


	12. Chapter 12

"Stiles? Where's my son?" The Sheriff's voice booms through the hospital. Derek looks up for the first time in what feels like hours to see the Sheriff at the front desk shouting at a young receptionist who looks terrified. 

"Sheriff." Derek tries to call out but his voice coming out cracked and broken. 

The Sheriff turns around and spots him sitting by himself on the other side of the room and he freezes seeing the way Derek looks. 

"Derek?" The Sheriff asks walking quickly over to him.

Derek tries to stand up but the pain erupts in his knee and he bites his lip to stop himself from screaming. Suddenly the Sheriff's strong hands are on his shoulders guiding him back to his seat. 

"Wheres Stiles? What's happening?" He quickly asks and Derek shakes his head.

"Snake bite, they're trying to save him." Derek answers, tears still in his eyes as he looks up at the older man. "He's down that hall, they won't let me be with him, family only. Please don't let him be alone." Derek begs. 

"What room?" The Sheriff asks in a serious tone. 

"Room 22." Derek says and with that the Sheriff runs in the direction Derek got dragged from earlier. 

*2 hours later* 

"Derek." Melissa's voice calls softly and he lifts his head from his hands to find her standing next to him with a sympathetic look on her face. "You were right about it being a copperhead snake and Stiles is now in a stable condition thanks to you." She says and Derek sighs with relief hearing those words. Stiles just might be okay.

"He should have never been in that situation to begin with." Derek says shaking his head. "Can I see him now?" 

"Not yet, it's still family only and he's going to be asleep for a while from all the stuff the doctor gave him. But in a couple days he will be back to his bubbly, hyperactive self." Melissa informs and Dereks nods not trusting his voice at the moment. "Don't worry once Stiles wakes up you will be able to see him, in the mean time you look like you could use a coffee. Go downstairs to the cafeteria and grab yourself a drink, Stiles will still be sound asleep when you get back." Melissa says pointing towards two large doors and Derek nods as she walks away getting back to work.

After a few minutes he decides to go to the cafeteria via the bathroom to take a look at his knee which has been throbbing painfully the entire time he's been in the waiting room. 

-

He closes the cubical door behind himself putting the toilet seat down for a seat before undoing his belt and pulling his jeans down below his knees. He sits down on the toilet seat in only his boxers and looks down at his right knee. It was red and swollen and by the deep black bruising around the knee cap he knew it wasn't good. He had only just gotten rid of the bruises on his face, he sighs shaking his head putting his pants back on before walking towards the bathroom sink and splashing water on his face. He knew it wouldn't help much to reduce the redness around his eyes from his tears earlier when he thought Stiles was going to die. 

He shakes his head trying not think about it, he can't even imagine what he would have done if Stiles had died. 

He gets taken away from his thoughts when he hears the bathroom door open to the left. He glances over to the person and he curses in his head. Out of all the people in this town it has to be this guy. Derek stands himself up a little bit straighter washing his hands under the sink even though he doesn't need to.

"Are you fucking following me and my girlfriend?" Jackson suddenly shouts and Derek glances back over to the man who's arms were now crossed over his chest trying to look intimidating. 

"It's a public hospital." Derek answers bluntly not even bothering to look at Jackson.

"And it just so happens to be the same time I'm here with my girlfriend! But since you're here you need to go give her an apology!" Jackson shouts and Derek actually laughs.

"I don't owe anyone an apology. Now walk away Jackson, I'm not in the mood." Derek replies angrily turning the tap off.

"You kissed my girlfriend! You owe both of us an apology." Jackson responds and Derek shakes his head turning to face the other man.

"Fuck off Jackson, I'm not doing this here." Derek says sternly as he walks towards the door but Jackson grabs his shoulders pulling him away from the door and into the wall. 

"I kicked your ass before, I am more than happy to do it again." Jackson spits and Derek raises his eyebrows as if saying 'hit me with your best shot' which is exactly what Jackson does but this time Derek isn't in a state of panic like at the bar and he blocks Jacksons fist. Using the mans sudden surprise as an advantage he grabs Jackson's forearm and slams him into the bathroom wall pinning him there by his collar. 

"Stop before this gets worse." Derek hisses in his ear but Jackson just retaliates trying to kick Derek and manages to scrape his right knee by sheer luck. Derek bites back a scream letting go of the other man as he grabs one of the sinks to keep himself up right, just as Jackson comes back swinging his fists. Derek bites his lip and pushes his weight back onto his knee and slams Jackson back into the wall. Derek may be injured but he outweighs Jackson in muscle by a tonne. 

Derek's hand forms into a fist and he rears his arm back in attempt to threaten the guy which works and Jackson puts his hands up in defeat but Derek shakes his head. He slams his fist into the mirror inches away from Jacksons face, the glass smashing everywhere. Jackson closes his eyes tensing in fear as Derek punches the mirror again ignoring the sharp pain and fresh blood coming from his right fist. 

"Don't come at me again." Derek says sternly looking Jackson in the eye before letting him go and walking out the bathroom. 

He glances down at his now bloodied fist and shakes his head. He has no idea what got hold of him back there but at least Jackson won't be bothering him anymore, he thinks to himself as he enters the cafeteria. 

He goes to the front counter grabbing a couple napkins to wrap around his knuckles before getting himself a coffee and heading back to the waiting room.

-

Everything's dark. Theres a faint beeping sound in the background and two voices chattering but he can't hear what they saying. 

Suddenly the memories of the past events flash through his mind. The motorbike crash. The snake. Angel bucking him off and the snake biting him. Derek driving him to the hospital... but he can't remember anything else. He must have passed out because he can't even remember getting to the hospital but by the familiar smell of disinfectant with the strong chemical scent, he knew that's where he was. 

"I think he's waking up." A woman's voice comments bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Stiles?" A voice calls and this time he knew exactly who it belonged to. 

"D-dad?" Stiles tries to asks but his voice coming out rough as he opens his eyes slowly. He takes in his surroundings noting that he has a hospital room to himself and doesn't doubt that it's thanks to Melissa. He glances to his side spotting a UV drip and looks down to his arm to see the needle in it.

"Stiles, honey can you hear me?" Melissa asks and he turns towards her voice to find her standing on the other side of his bed next to his dad who's sitting down next to him. 

"Yeah." Stiles answers clearing his throat. "Yeah, I can hear you." He answers again his voice sounding a lot better. 

"It's good to see you awake, it was a bit touch and go for a while. You're just lucky you got here in time." Melissa says with a sweet smile and Stiles nods knowing how deadly a snake bite can be. "Now we need to keep you here for a few more hours to make sure you are okay. But the medicine seemed to work effectively, how are you feeling?" She asks.

"My ankle feels sore but other than that I'm fine." Stiles answers honestly and his dad sighs with relief giving him a smile. 

"The snake bite will be a little bit tender for a few days but that's completely normal. You're vitals seem to be right on track so I think you will be fine." Melissa informs and Stiles nods. "I will go call Scott, he's been worried sick about you. Call me if you need me." She says before walking out the room.

"You scared the hell out of me." His Dad says shaking his head as Stiles offers an apologetic smile. 

"Well that makes two of us." Stiles answers sitting himself up as he leans against the pillows. "But it's gonna take more than that to get rid of me, so don't worry I ain't going anywhere." 

"How did you even get bitten by a snake? Copperhead snakes usually don't strike unless they feel threatened and I'm pretty sure you're old enough to know not to go near snakes." His Dad says with a grin and Stiles couldn't help but smile. 

"It wasn't my intention trust me. But well okay long story short I was riding Angel and came around the corner of the shed just as Derek came around the corner on the motorbike. He quickly hit the breaks and turned sharply to avoid me but he crashed the bike into a fence and went flying into a paddock. So I guess all that commotion scared the snake and when I went into the paddock to get to Derek the snake was there and well you can probably guess what happened then." Stiles explains and his Dad stares at him shocked. "Holy shit Derek! He was injured, but he still carried me to the car and got me here... holy shit! Is he okay? How badly is he hurt?" Stiles quickly question not believing how stupid he has just been. Derek was hurt and he completely forgot.

"He never said anything about that, I don't think he's even been checked out by the nurses. I was wondering why there was new rips on his shirt." The Sheriff answers rubbing his eyes with his palms. "I can't believe I didn't pick up on that." 

"Where is he?" Stiles asks, if Derek is back on the farm working or something Stiles will be going off at him, the man could barely put his foot down on the accelerator without wincing. 

"He's in the waiting room, only family has been allowed to see you. I went and got a coffee a few hours ago and I saw him asleep on one of the chairs. He's been here all night and refused to go home not until you were awake and okay." His Dad replies and Stiles couldn't help but smile hearing that.

-

"Hey, Derek." The Sheriff calls shaking Derek's shoulders to try and wake him up. "Derek." The Sheriff says again and suddenly the younger man snaps awake with a gasp pulling away from his hands in panic. "Hey, it's alright, it's just me." The Sheriff says pulling his hands away quickly as Derek nods.

"What time is it?" Derek asks looking around the room noticing he's the only one in the waiting room.

"It's 5am, Stiles just woke up before and he's going to be just fine." The Sheriff says and Derek sighs in relief. Thank God he's going to be okay, Derek thinks as he sits himself up in his chair biting back a groan as pain in his knee erupts. 

"Alright now talk, Stiles told me about the motorbike crash." The Sheriff says sitting on the seat next to him.

"I broke part of the fence but I will fix it as soon as I get back to the farm I promise." Derek says but the Sheriff shakes his head. 

"I don't care about the stupid fence, I meant you. Stiles said you were hurt." The Sheriff says looking Derek up and down.

"I'm fine, Stiles is just over exaggerating." Derek insists but the Sheriff gives him a look knowing he is lying.

"Alright, but what about your hand? I don't think that's from the crash" He says and Derek looks down at his hand noticing the napkin has come off leaving his fist exposed covered in blood and cuts.

"Its not what it looks like." Derek says shaking his head knowing the Sheriff would hear that excuse all the time. "I didn't hurt anyone... I punched a mirror." Derek explains and the Sheriff gives him a sympathetic look but Derek shakes his head looking down at the ground.

"Stiles wants to see you, I'm gonna go grab a coffee and give the farm hands a call to see how everything's going on the farm." The Sheriff says and Derek nods his thanks as the older man walks away.

He waits until the Sheriff is out of eye sight before forcing himself to stand up, trying to ignore the pain in his knee as he limps towards Stiles room. 

He opens the door slowly giving it a soft knock as he spots Stiles sitting up on his bed nodding for him to come in. 

"How are you feeling?" Derek asks walking over to the chair next to Stiles trying his best not to limp but by the frown on Stiles' face the boy noticed.

"The bite on my ankle is sore but other than that I'm good as gold, I don't know why I have to stay for a few more hours." Stiles responds in his normal happy tone and Derek couldn't help but smile, thinking how it wasn't that long ago that he thought he'd never see Stiles again. "Hey, what's with that sad face? I'm fine alright, don't worry." Stiles says his expression now softer.

"You nearly died Stiles!" Derek says a little louder than he should have but he couldn't help it. Stiles nearly died because of him, he could have been gone! He can't go through that again not with Stiles! "The doctor didn't even think you would make it! I nearly lost you!" 

"But I didn't die, thanks to you. You got me here and I heard it was you who told them the type of snake which saved my life." Stiles replies but Derek shakes his head.

"I didn't save your life, if it wasn't for me in the first place you would have never been hurt and bitten." Derek says looking away from the young boy. 

"Hey, Derek look at me. This was not your fault. We both came around that corner at the same time and the snake just happened to be in the paddock. This is not your fault." Stiles replies in a serious tone and Derek just nods running his fingers through his hair. "Hey, what is that from?" Stiles questions and Derek looks up following Stiles' line of sight noticing he's looking at his knuckles and Derek sighs. Why do the Stilinski's have to be good at spotting stuff like this?

"Derek. What happened?" Stiles asks again when he doesn't answer.

"Jackson. He came at me while in the bathroom-" 

"Did you at least punch him in the face?" Stiles interrupts and Derek shakes his head with a laugh.

"No, I punched the mirror next to his face. I don't know what came over me. Everything that was happening to you, at that point in time the doctor had basically said to me you weren't going to make it. I thought you weren't going to come back. I couldn't lose you Stiles, not after the fire or Laura... I just can't lose anyone else close to me especially not you. Seeing you get bucked off the horse and hitting your head... God, Stiles I thought you were going to die there and then." Derek says and he didn't realise his hands were shaking until Stiles reaches over and grabs them holding them steady. 

"That's why you don't like riding horses isn't it?" Stiles asks and Derek looks up meeting his eyes. "Someone close to you died riding didn't they?" He asks gently not wanting to force Derek into talking about something he doesn't want to.

"Yeah, she got bucked off a horse when it stepped on a snake and she went head first into a fence post." Derek says shaking his head. "I couldn't do anything to help her, we were both only 16, I didn't know what to do and my girlfriend died in my arms." Derek finishes looking at his hands in his lap with Stiles' still wrapped around them. 

"I thought history was going to repeat itself. Fuck, Stiles I thought you were going to die." Derek repeats as Stiles squeezes his hand slightly for comfort but now all Derek could think about was Stiles dying and turning out like Paige. "I- I should go." Derek quickly says standing up. 

"Hey, what?" Stiles questions sitting himself up more on the bed with a confused expression. 

"I can't- I need to go." Derek repeats walking towards the door.

"You can't what? Derek don't go, I'm sorry if I pushed you to talk about." Stiles says in a calm voice and Derek stops as he grabs the door handle. 

"It's not you, I just can't do this." Derek responds walking out the door. 

"Wait Derek! Derek?" Stiles shouts as the door closes behind the other man and then silence. 

"What the hell just happened?" Stiles wonders out loud staring at the closed door on the other side of the room. He's sure he didn't push Derek too hard to talk about his past, he actually seemed like he wanted to.

-

How could he let this happen? When did he let this happen? How did he not notice? Derek questions himself as he pulls into the Stilinski drive way. When did he let Stiles become that important to him? How did he not notice his feelings towards the young boy earlier? He promised himself he'd never get attached to anyone not after what Kate did to him, yet somehow his feelings for Stiles are too much for him to ignore. He can't keep doing this, everyone he loves always get hurt and he can't do that Stiles. He's got a bad past and he can't even guarantee Kate isn't after him still. He knows she wants him dead it's only a matter of time before she somehow catches wind that he's here. He can't put Stiles through that, what if Kate uses Stiles against him? Derek grips the steering wheel tighter trying not to think about all the things Kate would do to Stiles if she found out his feelings for him. 

"Derek?" 

He can't let that happen to Stiles, the kid nearly died because of him last night and that was without Kate around. 

"Derek?" Scott's voice questions from somewhere and Derek didn't even realised he'd parked the ute in front of the hut and was just sitting there with his hands on the wheel. He shakes his head trying to forget what he was thinking about and takes his hands off the wheel. "You alright?" Scott asks standing next to the open window of the ute and Derek just nods opening the door to get out the ute. 

"Stiles is coming home later tonight and within a few days he'll be back to normal apparently." Derek says stepping out the vehicle while holding the door tightly knowing his knee won't like the sudden pressure on it. 

"I know, my mum called us an hour ago. We've postponed that barbecue with Allison and her dad as well so that won't be happening tomorrow in case you didn't know." Scott informs and Derek nods. "Boyd is down by the stables at the moment with Dr Deaton he's doing everything he can for Stiles' horse but even I know it's not looking good. Stiles loves that horse, if she dies he will heart broken."

"I know, make sure the vet does everything he can." Derek replies and Scott nods. "It's been a long day. I'm gonna go have a shower, if you guys need help with the horse come get me." 

"Sure thing man, I'll catch you later." Scott says before walking off back towards his Toyota. 

After 10 minutes Derek finds himself sitting on the edge of his bed in his boxers and tank top looking down at his knee. He shakes his head realising it has gotten worse, most likely when Jackson kicked it, but there's nothing he can do about it. He puts on a new pair of work jeans and finds a different flannel knowing the one he was wearing earlier had rips all through it from the crash. 

Once he gets changed he climbs back into the farm ute and heads to the section of fence he broke yesterday after stopping at a shed to grab fencing equipment. He drives past the horse stables and spots what he assumes is Dr Deatons vehicle parked next to Scott's.

He works on the destroyed fence for hours, joining new strands of fence to parts that remained standing and twisting and pulling the barbed wire so it's tight and secure from post to post. He focuses on the fence, keeping his mind and thoughts on the fence knowing if he lets his mind drift it will be bad. 

"You know you don't have to work right now? You've had a pretty intense couple days." Boyd's voice calls and Derek cuts the wire in his hand before turning around to find him walking in his direction.

"It keeps me distracted and I needed to fix this fence anyway." Derek shrugs off putting the tools down to join Boyd under the shelter of a tree. 

"Yeah, Parrish and I noticed the bike in the paddock looking a little worse for wear. What happened?" Boyd asks taking his hat off to use it as a fan.

"Stiles and I both came around the corner at the same time so I dodge him but went through the fence." Derek explains leaning against the tree in attempt to get his weight off his right knee.

"Damn, that would have hurt. Do you want help getting the bike on the back of the ute? Parrish tried starting it but I think she's broken again." Boyd says and Derek nods, typical of course it's broken again. 

"It's alright I'll get the bike tomorrow, I just need to fix this fence in case the sheriff decides to put any cattle in this pasture paddock." Derek replies and Boyd nods. 

"I'll give you hand to finish it and just to let you know Angel, Stiles' horse, she didn't make it." Boyd says and Derek sighs looking down at the ground.

"Shit. Stiles is going to be heartbroken." Derek mutters shaking his head. Maybe he should have called someone sooner to help the horse instead of waiting until he got to the hospital, Angel would have had more of a chance. God, poor Stiles and he just walked out on the boy at the hospital, fuck that was so stupid of him. 

"He loved that horse, it won't be easy for him." Boyd comments and Derek nods annoyed at himself for leaving Stiles when he would need him the most. Leaving his feelings for the younger boy out of it, Stiles needs him and if it was the other way round Stiles would be there for him too.


	13. Chapter 13

*The next morning*

"Has anyone seen Stiles?" Derek asks walking over to the cottage where the Parrish and Boyd were eating breakfast. 

"He took off in his Jeep about an hour ago to start work, Scott went after him though. He shouldn't be working yet not since the snake bite two days ago and plus he wouldn't be thinking straight after Angel died." Parrish answers and Derek nods thinking the exact same thing. 

"Which way did they go?" He asks and Boyd points in the direction of the stables and with that Derek climbs into the farm ute and drives in that direction. 

He spots Scott's Toyota driving towards him and they stop next to each other winding their windows down to talk. 

"Wheres Stiles?" Derek asks leaning his forearm on the open window. 

"In the stables, I wouldn't go in there though, he just wants to be alone." Scott replies. Like hell he's leaving Stiles alone when he's like this. 

"I'll take my chances." Derek replies and Scott nods as they both drive off in different directions. He parks the ute next to Stiles' Jeep and walks into the stables. This is the first time he's been in a horse stable since Paige... he pushes the thought out of his head and focuses on Stiles. 

He spots the kid in one of the end stables and Derek stares in shock realising Stiles is having a breakdown. He watches for a few seconds as Stiles shouts and screams. Kicking loose hay on the floor, throwing buckets around the stables and then smashes a wooden rake on the wall making a loud *crack* Derek quickly stops staring and runs the best he can to Stiles. He grabs the broken rake from the boys hands throwing it to the side as he grabs Stiles shoulders to try calm him. But he continues to fight. His screams turn into sobs as he kicks and fights against Derek's grip but the older man wraps his arms around Stiles to hold him still so he doesn't hurt himself. 

"Stiles, it's okay." Derek says softly trying to calm him down. "Stiles." Derek repeats and this time the younger man stops fighting and Derek sits them both down on a bale of hay. They sit there for a few minutes, Derek with his arm still around Stiles shoulders for support as he calms himself down. 

"Not in the mood to talk, I just want to be alone." Stiles finally says breaking the silence as he stares at the ground and Derek could see the sadness and pain in his eyes.

"I know Scott told me." Derek replies moving his right leg slightly to make it less painful.

"Yet you're still here." Stiles responds dryly and Derek looks away trying not to take that to heart. He knows Stiles is hurting and Derek acted the same way towards Laura after the fire.

"I'm here because the last thing you need right now is to be alone." Derek says looking back up at Stiles who turns his head facing him for the first time with a tired face. 

"You don't know what I need! You can't possibly know how I feel right now, what it's like to have the last piece of your mother ripped out of your life within a blink of an eye!" Stiles shouts and Derek could see the tears forming in the boys eyes. 

"I do know what it's like." Derek says quietly with a sympathetic smile and Stiles expression turns from angry to guilty in an instant. "Which is why I know right now you think it's best to be a alone but trust me being alone is the worst thing for you right now. You can yell at me and fight me all you want but I'm not letting you be alone and I am not letting you do this either." Derek says pointing towards the stable knowing before Stiles' breakdown he had started cleaning out Angels stable. "One of the others will do it, you and I are gonna go to the old shed and I will teach you how to fix the old slasher. Because I can guarantee you Parrish will somehow break it again." Derek says knowing Stiles needs a distraction and Stiles nods with a slight smile. 

"Thanks." Stiles replies softly and Derek gives him a smile before leading them towards the old shed across the drive way. 

-

*1 hour later* 

"How the hell do you know how to do all this? This is so complicated, like I can fix my Jeep when that breaks but this... this is confusing." Stiles comments as him and Derek lie under the slasher which is currently resting on two blocks of wood so they could get under it. 

"Taught myself, it's the only way to get money around here." Derek replies moving out from under the slasher to grab a spanner from the work bench. 

"Here tighten the bolts back up." Derek says sliding the spanner on the ground towards Stiles who was still lying on his back. "But tighten them in opposites, so tighten the top one and then tighten the one opposite it and go from there. That way it will tighten evenly and easier." 

"Right... I'm gonna pretend that makes sense." Stiles replies and Derek rolls his eyes grabbing his water bottle off the bench while waiting for Stiles to finish. 

"Done, now what?" Stiles asks. 

"Come out from under it and we'll see if she starts." Derek says as Stiles hits his head trying to crawl out from under the machine. "Watch your head." 

"Couldn't have said that five seconds ago?" Stiles mutters standing up and Derek just shakes his head as he hooks the slasher onto the back of the tractor. 

"Turn the key see if she starts." Derek instructs nodding towards the tractor as Stiles leans over the front seat turning the key and in an instant the tractor roars to life and the slashers blades begin to spin under it. 

"Oh my God it worked." Stiles comments turning the tractor back off with a huge grin. "I mean I totally had faith in you but holy shit." Stiles adds causing Derek to roll his again. 

They spend the rest of the day working on odd jobs together well mainly Derek working while Stiles watches because he did get bitten by a snake yesterday and Derek wouldn't let him work. They gave fresh bales of hay to the cattle, fixed the roof on the chicken coop for the third time in one month, they fixed the hanging gutter on the farm house and went back to where the motorbike crash happened and finished fixing the fence. 

It was only 5pm by the time they finish but neither of them had lunch so they call it day and head to the farm house to make tea. The Sheriff isn't meant to be home until seven so they decide to cook pasta so it would be easy for him to heat up when he gets home. The rest of the farm hands went out to the Beacon Hills bar like they do every Friday. Scott didn't want to go at first, he didn't want to leave Stiles alone. But Stiles had insisted and said Derek will keep him company, which Derek didn't mind. He sure as hell wasn't going to the bar so he might as well keep Stiles company. 

"Shit. I was going to get the motorbike and push it into the old shed so it's not in the middle of the paddock." Derek suddenly says breaking the comfortable silence as Stiles cooks pasta while Derek sets the table. 

"The sun doesn't set until eight, don't worry we can do it after tea." Stiles says pouring the long spaghetti into the water.

Derek nods as he grabs the jug of water out the fridge and fills two glasses up placing them on the table. They don't talk for a few minutes, until Stiles breaks the silence. 

"Does it ever get easier?" The boy asks facing the stove with his back to the other man and Derek knew exactly what Stiles was talking about and he sighs. "My mother died when I was a kid. I thought by now after all these years I would never feel how I felt when she passed away, but I do." He explains and Derek nods knowing exactly how bad it is to relieve that pain. 

"It never gets easier Stiles, you just learn to live with it. Like you would know it hurts like hell for a while but that pain eventually turns into a dull ache, that ache never goes away." Derek says softly sitting down at the table. "You can think of the ache in your heart in two ways. One way is thinking that it's a burden and you just wish it would disappear. But the other is that it's a constant reminder that the ones you've lost are still here with you. That they will always be watching over you and will always be an important part of your life. It took me years to work that out, to learn to live with the pain and use it as a reminder that they are always with us. But to be honest I haven't 100% learnt this yet, some days are better than others but I know I will eventually get there and I know you will too." Derek says and Stiles nods softly.

"I just miss her and I miss Angel. I grew up learning to ride on her and grew up watching my mother ride her. It's just-" Stiles tries to say but stops himself and Derek could see the stray tear trickle down the boys right cheek. 

"It's okay to feel like this and it's okay to admit that you miss them both." Derek replies softly watching Stiles carefully not sure what to do. 

"It's been like 10 years and I have tears in my eyes, what kind of tough man does that make me?" Stiles questions still facing away from Derek at the stove. 

"It doesn't make you any less of a man, it's called being human." Derek says standing up from the chair and walking over to Stiles placing a hand on his shoulder. "I might be bad with people and bad with words but I'm here for you Stiles. Now go sit down I will take over." Derek says gently with his hand still on Stiles' shoulder as he stands behind him. 

"That's probably a good idea." Stiles replies softly handing Derek the bag of pasta. "I might go have a shower to freshen up, I'll be back in 10." Stiles adds and Derek nods as he watches Stiles disappear through the door.

Derek continues cooking the pasta and begins to serve it at the table when he hears Stiles' shower turn off. He serves another plate of food and places it in the microwave ready for when the Sheriff comes home later. 

"Yo Derek!" Stiles calls out and Derek looks towards the door as Stiles appears wearing jeans and a Captain American shirt and Derek has to turn away so the boy couldn't see the smile on his face. "I was thinking we never got to finish playing Crash Bandicoot the other night and I really want to pass that level." Stiles continues taking a seat at the table and Derek does the same sitting opposite him. 

"You're gonna have to get a few beers into me before I play that frustrating game again." Derek comments and Stiles laughs shrugging his shoulders.

"That could be arranged. We have some in the fridge, so what do you say? While the others are out wasting their money at the bar we'll be relaxing playing PlayStation." Stiles says as he begins to eat his food.

"Works for me but I call dibs on playing first." Derek says with a grin and Stiles gives him a deadly look. 

"Fine, you will die within the first few minutes anyway." Stiles responds with a wink and Derek rolls his eyes, this kid is going to be the death of him.

-

"Let's go get your bike out the paddock and into a shed before it gets dark, we'll do the dishes when we get back." Stiles says standing up from the table and Derek follows as they walk out onto the porch putting their boots on. 

"Afternoon boys." The Sheriff greets climbing out his cruiser. "How are you feeling Stiles? Melissa said you might feel a bit off for a few days still." 

"I'm good, don't worry. Derek and I are just gonna get the motorbike out the paddock then play PlayStation for a few hours. Teas in the microwave." Stiles responds and his Dad nods as they walk towards the old farm ute in front of the hut. 

"You can drive." Derek says walking towards the passenger side without giving Stiles the chance to reply. It's not because he doesn't want to drive but it hurts like hell when he does because of his knee. He can't even walk without it erupting in pain so he'd rather Stiles drive. 

"So how do you wanna move the bike? Can we roll it into a shed or are the wheels stuffed because otherwise we'll have to lift it onto the back of the ute." Stiles says as they drive towards the two sheds. 

"I think it will be okay to roll, it doesn't look too seriously damaged." Derek replies and Stiles nods pulling up next the fence between the two sheds. Derek glances into the paddock spotting the motorbike a bit over hundred metres away. They jump out the ute and climb over the freshly patched fence Derek fixed earlier walking towards the bike. The sun was slowly setting on the horizon the sky filled with pink and purple as Derek took in the view. 

"Let's see if she'll roll when we push, God I hope it does" Stiles comments as they reach the bike. Derek leans over grabbing the handle bars to stand the bike up as Stiles moves to the back of the bike to help push. "Hey, it's working!" Stiles calls out and Derek rolls his eyes at the boys excitement. They slowly push the bike towards the gate of the paddock which was over 500 meters away. 

"You could have made the gate closer to the sheds." Derek mutters and he could hear Stiles laugh from behind him causing him to shake his head.

Suddenly out of no where the front wheel of the bike falls into a some sort of ditch in the ground. Causing the front wheel to turn on an angle sharply and slamming into Derek's right knee in the process. He screams in agony dropping to the ground. The pain too much to handle as he grabs his knee clenching his jaw shut in pain to stop himself from screaming.

"Derek?!" Stiles voice shouts as he hears the bike hit the ground next to him.

"I'm fine." Derek mutters groaning as he tries to move his knee. "Fuck." He curses squeezing his eyes shut from the pain.

"I knew you weren't okay from your bike crash, far out." Stiles mutters but Derek doesn't respond, there's no point arguing with him at the moment. "Can you walk?" Stiles asks his voice now calmer and Derek opens his eyes to find Stiles kneeling in front of him with a worried expression. He nods in response letting go of his knee to use his hands to push himself up. He grits his teeth together stopping himself from screaming. He manages to stand himself up with his hand on Stiles shoulder to keep him balanced. "You alright?" Stiles asks worriedly and Derek nods slightly, his head hung low as he stares at the ground trying to ignore the agonising pain radiating from his knee. 

He takes a few deep breaths standing himself up straighter as he takes a step forward putting his weight on his knee but it doesn't end well. He screams in pain and suddenly feels Stiles hands on his shoulders as he crumples to the ground grabbing his knee. 

"You're not alright." Stiles comments and Derek nods wincing. "What's wrong with your knee?" 

"I don't know." Derek groans squeezing his eyes shut when he tries to bend his knee slightly. "I'll be fine in a few minutes." 

"Yeah, like hell you will be. You can't even put pressure on it. I'm gonna call Dad so he can bring a vehicle here because there is no way I can carry you to the ute like you carried me the other day." Stiles says and Derek would have laughed if he wasn't in a serious amount of pain at the moment. He just nods at Stiles who was already calling his dad. "Dad I need you bring a ute to the pasture paddock south of the two main sheds like right now. Derek can't walk and I don't want to leave him to go back to our ute." Stiles quickly says into the phone not taking his eyes off Derek who was half sitting and half lying on the ground with a pained expression on his face. Stiles hangs up the phone putting it in his pocket before moving closer to Derek on the ground. "Dad will be here in a sec." Stiles says and all Derek does is nod in acknowledgment staring at the ground trying to slow his breathing. 

*2 minutes later* 

He could hear the sound of a vehicle approaching but there is no way he will turn his body to look. He glances up at Stiles who was watching the vehicle approach before looking back at him offering a sympathetic smile. 

"What the hell happened?" The Sheriff's voice questions as the sound of the car door opens. 

"He hurt his knee when he crashed the motorbike and we were moving the bike and the wheel slammed into his knee and he just dropped." Stiles explains quickly as the Sheriff walks towards them. 

"I'm fine." Derek comments moving slightly with a wince and the Sheriff shakes his head. 

"Can you stand? We'll get you back to the house to have a look at it because you really don't seem okay." The Sheriff says and Derek just nods forcing himself to stand up and with the help from both Stiles and the Sheriff he manages to get into the ute. 

"You still with us?" Stiles asks worriedly from next to Derek in the backseat who was leaning back with his eyes closed breathing heavily.

"Yeah." Derek answers nodding putting his hand on Stiles' thigh to try get the boy to stop worrying. 

After 10 minutes they eventually make it into the lounge room of the house and they help Derek sit down on the couch who was trying not groan in pain. 

"I'll be fine." Derek winces but both Stilinski's shake their heads. 

"Show me your knee Derek. If it's so bad that you can hardly put pressure on it after knocking it with the bike then you probably need to go to the hospital." The Sheriff says but Derek quickly shakes his head and Stiles could see the sudden panic in his face.

"No hospitals." Derek says and the Sheriff sighs. 

"Alright, just show me your knee." The Sheriff replies and Derek nods taking his jeans off gingerly.

Stiles half turns away feeling his cheeks beginning to blush as he watches Derek take off his jeans leaving just his black boxers on. 

"Shit." His Dad mutters causing Stiles to quickly look away from Derek's boxers and his eyes land on Derek's swollen red and purple knee. 

"Oh my God." Stiles gasps looking away quickly not liking the sight at all. 

"You definitely need the hospital Derek. How have you been walking on that?" The Sheriff asks and Stiles looks back at Derek making a point of not looking at his knee. 

"No hospital, I'm fine if I don't bump it on anything like before." Derek replies and the Sheriff pinches the bridge of his nose trying to think. 

"I'm gonna go call Melissa McCall, see if she can come out here to have a look at it then." The Sheriff responds walking out the room with his phone. 

"Why no hospital? Your knee looks basically broken! Why don't you want to go to the hospital? You said that the first time you came here before you passed out on me. You're not telling me something." Stiles states making sure his father was out the room. 

"Stiles just leave it." Derek says tiredly looking up at him but Stiles shakes his head. 

"No I won't just leave it. You have been hiding something from me the moment you came here. At first I let it go because it's none of my business but now you are refusing to go to the hospital for something like this. What if something worse happens to you? Hu? Would you still refuse going to the hospital? This is ridiculous you need to get your knee checked out." Stiles says louder than he probably should have as he runs his hands through his hair. "Far out you carried me to the car and carried me into the hospital just after you crashed the bike! You have been walking around and working for the last few days when your knee looks like that... far out you're an idiot!" Stiles shouts sitting down next to the older man on the couch who was just staring at the wall in front of him like Stiles isn't even there. Stiles looks back down to Derek's knee trying to avoid looking at the mans boxers. He glances back up to Derek's face, he looked unfocused like he was unsure of what to do. 

"You okay?" Stiles asks cautiously moving slightly so he was facing the other man.

"There's a lot you don't know about me."  
Derek suddenly says and Stiles rolls his eyes. 

"That's an understatement." Stiles comments and Derek shakes his head. 

"You know about the fire and Laura but there's something I didn't tell you. The fire wasn't caused by a stupid hair straightener it was arsenal and Laura-" Derek stops talking and closes his eyes for a few seconds as Stiles watches him jaw dropped from the information. He knew Derek didn't believe the police report about the hair straightener starting the fire but he never expected this. Who would want to kill an entire family? A mother, father and two young kids? "Laura was shot by the same people, fuck it was right in front of me and there was nothing I could have done."

"Holy shit." Stiles mutters staring wide eyed at the other man who continued to stare at the wall in front of them. "Why would someone want to kill your family?" 

"My parents discovered something they weren't meant to. When they tried to turn the people in to the police they got killed. Then the same people hunted Laura and I down and killed her too." Derek explains shaking his head and Stiles realises Derek has never said this sort of stuff out loud. 

"I'm sorry." Was all Stiles could find the words for as he watches Derek still stare at the wall. 

"Don't be." Derek replies looking down at his knee.

"Wait what does this have to do with you not wanting to go to hospitals?" Stiles asks trying and failing to connect the dots himself. 

"Those people who killed my family, who hunted Laura and I down and killed her, they are still after me. Laura and I lived on the run for the past five years and I continued living on the run after Laura died, nearly a year ago. If I go to a hospital that means paperwork which means putting my name in their system and stuff." Derek says and Stiles sighs finally realising why that's a bad idea.

"And that would be the first thing these people would check and they'll find you in an instant." Stiles finishes and Derek nods. "Fuck, I can't believe I didn't pick up on any of this." Stiles says shaking his head as his Dad walks back into the room.

"I didn't want to put you in danger, if they come here and find me I won't put your friends and family in danger. I will run as far from here as I can, if they block the driveway I will go into the forest near the lake because when they find me they will kill me and anyone else they think might know their secret." Derek explains glancing up at the Sheriff with a nod and Stiles quickly shakes his head.

"IF they find you, my dads the Sheriff he can lock them up, right?" Stiles asks looking over at his Dad who shakes his head.

"I don't have any proof, all the proof my parents had got burnt with them. And even if I did have proof they have men on the inside. They won't be locked up for longer than a day before being let back out." Derek explains and Stiles puts his hands over his face.

"This is so fucked up, I thought this stuff only happened in movies." Stiles mutters and Derek actually laughs. He wished it only happened in movies, God the amount of times he'd lay awake at night thinking about it. It took him weeks after his parents died for it to really sink in and when it did he shut right off. He refused to talk to Laura or anyone about what happened and well nothing has really changed. 

"You're safe here Derek, alright." The Sheriff says putting his hand on the younger mans shoulder and Derek nods. "Melissa will be here in an hour after her shift finishes." The Sheriff adds before walking out the door. 

"My Dads right you know? You're safe here, these people won't come looking for you out here. They have no reason to even come to Beacon Hills in the first place." Stiles says looking at Derek. He can't even imagine going through half of what Derek has in the last five years. The man has lost everything and here Stiles was sulking over losing his horse! But he's determined to turn Derek's life around. The guy deserves to be happy and Stiles is going to make sure that is exactly what's gonna happen.


	14. Chapter 14

"You've definitely fractured your patella in your knee. But I have no idea how bad it is without doing X-rays." Melissa informs as she stands up in front of Derek on the couch.

"How bad can fractured knees be?" The Sheriff asks from the seat next to him. 

"Worst case scenario he needs surgery. Best case scenario is he will just have to wear this knee brace for a few months." Melissa says grabbing a black knee brace made of some sort of soft material. "I came prepared." She adds and Derek nods.

"Do you think he'll need surgery?" Stiles questions and Derek glances over at him almost forgetting the kid was there since he's been so quiet. 

"No hospital. I will be fine." Derek replies and Stiles just sighs nodding. 

"There's not much I can do for you if you don't come into the hospital. But before I left work I grabbed this brace and some pain killers because what the Sheriff was telling me on the phone you might want them." Melissa says handing Derek a couple packets of pain killers from her bag. "Just wear this knee brace for a few months until you feel that your knee is fine on its own, that's all I can do for you honey." Melissa says handing him the brace.

"That is more than enough Ms McCall, thank you." Derek replies with a nod and she smiles as the Sheriff walks her out. He waits for them to leave the room before putting the knee brace on. It was tight around his knee and uncomfortable as hell but he knew it could be a lot worse. 

"I don't mean to be annoying but can you put your pants back on." Stiles asks and Derek raises his eyebrows turning to him noticing the slight blush on the boys cheeks. 

"Don't like what you see?" Derek questions with a sheepish grin and Stiles covers his face with his hands causing Derek to laugh.

"Yes. Wait no. No, that's not what I meant. I do like what I see, very much. But I meant put your pants on because your knee looks awful, no offence." Stiles quickly says and Derek rolls his eyes.

"Relax; I knew what you meant." Derek replies and Stiles gives him a dump look.

"Yet you decided to try embarrass me." Stiles says throwing his hands up in the air over dramatically. Derek just laughs smiling at the man next to him as he leans back into the couch. 

"How about a couple games of Crash Bandicoot before I leave?" Derek asks and Stiles eyes light up. 

"Alright, loser has to clean the old Massey Ferguson tomorrow deal?" Stiles asks already off the couch grabbing the controller and Derek nods. 

-

*next day*

"Hey man." Boyd's voice calls and Derek turns around to find the younger man walking towards him with Parrish. 

"Morning fellas." Derek calls out walking towards them. His limp is pretty bad but his knee doesn't hurt as much now that he has the brace on under his jeans. 

"How's the knee? Stiles informed us on what happened, that's a fair limp." Parrish says.

"Better now that I have a brace on it." Derek responds and Parrish nods. "How was the bar?" 

"Great! Erica had the night off so she hung out with us and Lydia came out for a few hours just to hang with Parrish." Boyd says with a wink nudging Parrish's side. 

"Yeah yeah whatever. Just because you and Erica are together don't rub it in that Lydia and I aren't." Parrish comments and Derek rolls his eyes.

"You know she is crazy into you right? If you ask her out she will say yes." Derek adds honestly.

"Really?" Parrish asks with an unreadable expression.

"Dude! Stilinski and I have been telling you this for weeks!" Boyd shouts turning to his friend.

"Yeah but you and Stiles are always messing with me. Whereas with Derek, I know he'll tell me the truth." Parrish answers and Boyd rolls his eyes. 

"Whatever man, just ask her out before you regret it." Boyd replies before turning back to Derek. "Anyway we better get back to work since Scott stayed the night at Allison's we have to do his jobs today." 

"He stayed the night with her? So her father is alright with them being together then?" Derek asks and both men shrugged. 

"I think he is, but I did hear him say they have to sleep in separate rooms." Boyd answers and Parrish scoffs.

"Yeah, like that would've lasted. One of them would have snuck into the others room the minute Chris goes to bed." Parrish comments and Derek nods remembering the times he had snuck out of home to meet up with Kate back when he thought she loved him. 

"Yeah well that's true. Anyway see you at lunch Derek." Boyd says bringing Derek's attention back to them before the two of them walk off down the driveway.

Derek shakes his head walking back towards the half washed tractor trying to get the memories of Kate out his head. He climbs onto the back right tyre of the tractor so he could reach the roof of the cab with his cloth. In hindsight he could have gotten a ladder to reach the top but the tyre is a lot easier. 

He finishes cleaning the roof and climbs down off the tyre, carefully with his injured knee before giving the rest of the tractor a quick last rinse with the hose. His long sleeve flannel now stuck to his skin from a mixture of sweat and water. But he knew within an hour his clothes will be dry from the heat. He puts the hose away and climbs in the tractor brining the old Massey to life before reversing it back into the shed. 

He spends the rest of the day cleaning out gutters on the farm sheds and barns. He has lunch with the farm hands and Stiles, eating burgers Scott bought back from Beacon Hills this morning. He got informed on anything and everything about Allison. She seems to be the only thing on Scott's mind at the moment now that they are officially together. It bothers Derek more than it should when Scott goes all sappy talking about his girlfriend. He knew he should be happy for the boy but it irritates him. Scott's only 18, he doesn't understand love and how dangerous it is. By the time Derek was 18 he'd gotten the girl he loved killed and got manipulated by a woman he thought loved and cared about him. Who turned out to be just using him for fun and to get to his family. The worst part of all of it was that Scott's girlfriend reminded him of Kate a lot. Allison was without a doubt way nicer than Kate ever was, that part is clear but there's just something about her that screams Kate Argent at him. But he doesn't say anything to Scott, he just listens as the boy talks about her but doesn't join the conversation. 

After lunch he goes back to shed he was working on earlier and continues cleaning the gutters, moving from one shed to the next. He just finishes hammering knee nails into the wooden roof of the old barn when he hears the clunking noise of Stiles' Jeep. Derek puts the hammer on top of the roof and climbs down the ladder to see what the boy is up to. 

"You know you shouldn't be climbing a ladder in your condition." Stiles shouts getting out the Jeep and walking over to him. 

"And you shouldn't have gotten straight back to work after the snake bite, so you can't talk." Derek responds with a grin and Stiles shrugs his shoulders.

"Valid point." The younger man comments as they both stand under the shade from the barn. 

"I've been meaning to ask. I noticed the trees on the edge of the forest don't seem as healthy as the rest and this old barn at the back looks like it's been half burnt. Did you guys have a bushfire through here a while ago?" Derek asks pointing the side of the barn which was clearly black and Stiles nods.

"Do you want the long story or short story? Because I can talk for a long time." Stiles says with a laugh. 

"Long story, I don't feel like going back to work just yet." Derek responds causing a smile to light up on Stiles' face. 

"Well don't say I didn't give you an option." Stiles says leaning against the wall of the barn. "It would have been two years ago I think... yeah two years ago because it occurred during school holidays. Scott and I were home and Boyd had already finished school and was working here. Anyway, Dad wasn't home at the time but he got notified that there was a bushfire out our side of the town. He called me but I didn't answer because you know there was a bushfire next to the property. Dad couldn't leave the town by the time he found out about it, they had the road blocked off so nobody could get caught up in the fire while driving. So it was just Scott, Boyd, Parrish and I here at the time. We managed to keep the fire from reaching the front of the farm. But the wind changed and the flames began heading to where we are now in this direction. We kept the flames from reaching major parts of the properly but there was just too much land for the four of us to cover. The fire fighters and other local farmers were all off fighting the other end of the fire so we just had the two utes with fire fighters on the back to fight the flames. Parrish and I were both driving because we know the farm better than Scott and Boyd while they stood on the back of the utes with the hoses trying to stop the fire." Stiles explains and Derek nods as the boy continues. "The back ends of the property suffered the most. A few old barns like this one and old chicken coops that haven't been used for years were perished but they weren't valuable. It was the pasture paddocks and one herd of cattle at the back end of the farm that was valuable. The fire took out over half our cattle at the time but luckily we had two separate herds in different paddocks, otherwise we would have lost the lot. But it still hurt especially when majority of our pasture paddocks for the livestock to feed on got burnt to the ground. It's not that the farm is struggling financially, we aren't filthy rich, but we have enough money to get by but it didn't make the destruction of the bushfire any less painful. We've been slowly rebuilding since. It took us a year to put up new fences since all the wooden posts got destroyed and as you can see we haven't even started rebuilding some of the old barns we lost ." 

"That would have been pretty intimidating fighting the fire with just the four of you. I'm guessing you and Scott would have only been like 16?" Derek asks and Stiles nods. "I'm impressed you managed to keep the fire away from major parts of the farm, I know how quickly fire can spread so it wouldn't have been easy." 

"It definitely wasn't easy, but hey that's life." Stiles replies and Derek nods in agreement. "Anyway, you up for some PlayStation tonight? Scott bought the new Grand Theft Auto that came out last week and it's amazing." 

"I have no idea what that is but if it's a chance to finally beat you at a video game then I'm in." Derek replies and laughs as Stiles fist punches the air in excitement.

-

The next couple of months go by fairly quickly. Derek and Stiles have become nearly inseparable, almost as close as Scott and Stiles are. They have what Stiles likes to call a 'love-hate friendship' they are constantly bickering and fighting with each other. But Stiles can't seem to stay mad at Derek and he knew Derek couldn't stay mad at him for too long either. The farm hands are always picking on him about Derek. They think Stiles has a crush on the guy and well they aren't wrong but Stiles would never tell them that. He knew Derek would never like him back the way Stiles does, which is okay, he never expected him to in the first place. He's just happy being friends with the guy and noticing how much happier the man is these days. 

Things at the farm have been normally quiet, his dad bought a few pigs now that the old piggery was back up in shape thanks to Derek and Boyd. None of them knew how to handle pigs, the piggery had never been used during Stiles' time on the farm. Luckily Derek seemed to know what to do as his parents use to have pigs on the family farm. But other than the new additions on the farm nothing else has really happened. Scott spends nearly every weekend in Beacon Hills with Allison. Boyd and Parrish usually to stay the night in Beacons Hills every Friday when they go to the bar to be with Erica and Lydia for longer. Occasionally Stiles would join the boys at the bar but most Friday's he stays home with his father and Derek either watching baseball or playing video games. He didn't mind missing out on going to the bar he was always the third wheel when the girls where there anyway. 

It was just another Friday morning on the farm. Sitting under the veranda of the cottage with Scott and Boyd while Parrish cooks eggs and bacon on his barbecue. 

"Where's Derek? He's usually the first one here." Stiles says looking over his shoulder towards the hut but couldn't see any movement through the small window. 

"What didn't you get your morning kiss before he started work?" Scott teases with a wink and Stiles throws the empty sauce bottle at him as Boyd and Parrish snicker turning away so Stiles couldn't see. 

"You're a dick." Stiles mutters crossing his arms glancing back towards the hut hoping Derek wasn't walking this way and heard Scott's comment. 

"Well it's not my fault the two of you don't just man up and date each other. It's obvious you both like each other." Scott replies and Boyd nods in agreement.

"You know he's right Stilinski and don't say your usual bullshit about just being close friends because we aren't that stupid." Boyd adds in and Stiles sighs leaning back into his chair. He knows his friends are right but there's always a slight chance that they are wrong. He can't risk his friendship with Derek if it turns out to be wrong. 

"Whatever guys." Stiles says shaking his head wanting nothing more then to end this conversation. 

"Derek went to work early this morning. I saw him leave his hut as the sun just got up. I guess he wasn't in the mood for breakfast." Parrish says and Stiles gives him a nod, happy someone finally gave him a reasonable answer but not happy about Derek not coming to breakfast. He understands that sometimes Derek needs his space from everyone including Stiles. He gets that Derek still has bad days. Whether it’s because of nightmares or something reminding him of his family or his ex Kate, who Stiles knows nothing about still. He is slowing putting pieces together about her but all he's really gotten is that whatever she did to Derek, whether it was a bad breakup or she cheated or used him or whatever she did Stiles knew it was really bad. 

Stiles fought the urge to get up and go find Derek, knowing something must be up if he isn't at breakfast. He's been working on the farm for six months now and barely misses any many meals with them. But Stiles doesn't go, knowing that Scott would never shut up if he went after Derek. But also he knows if Derek purposely skipped breakfast then that means he doesn't want to talk to anyone at the moment and Stiles knew better than to try get the older man to talk when he doesn't want to. So instead he eats breakfast exchanging conversations with the boys before beginning work for the day.

-

*2 hours earlier* 

He hasn’t slept all night. Every time he closes his eyes, images of Laura filled his mind. The sound of the shotgun being fired, the deep red blood seeping through her stomach as she falls to the ground lifeless. 

He stopped trying to fall asleep after the first hour and sat under the veranda of the hut watching the stars until the sun begins to rise. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone not even Stiles, who he knows would respect his privacy but would still ask questions. So instead of getting ready for breakfast with the guys he puts on his work clothes and heads towards the sheds to find his motorbike. A few weeks ago he managed to fix the bike and it's basically as good as new, minus the slight bend in the handle bars. 

He reaches the sheds as the sun peaks above the horizon, the morning heat already beginning to get fierce. He grabs a few tools and ties slabs of wood to the back of the bike and rides towards the forest at the back of the property. 

He remembers vaigly of Stiles talking about a small jetty made of wood that’s built on the side the lake leading into the water. Stiles and Scott use to fish off of it apparently but these days the small row of wood is now too dangerous to fish off when the lake is full. The wood is rotting and nails coming out everywhere. Derek could tell by the way Stiles talked that the boy wished it was still in working quality. Yesterday Derek paid the lake a visit and had a good look at the small fishing platform to see if he could fix it. After a few minutes of analysing it he figured it wouldn't take much to simply put new slabs of wood on it but he wanted to do more. 

As the hours go by he's replaced the old wooden posts with new ones and then swapped the old platform with new wooden slabs. He made sure everything was secure. Nails and metal holding the platform together before he extends the jetty a few extra meters. He silently thanks the weather for making this season scorching hot so the lake bed wasn't even slightly damp. Allowing him to fix and extend the jetty without worrying about getting wet or muddy.

He isn't sure what the time is by the time he finishes but he doesn't really care. The small jetty was now in working condition ready for this winter, which according to the Sheriff will produce the highest rainfall he has seen in years. Which is good because the farm definitely needs some rain. The livestock are starting to struggle a bit and the Sheriff said the rainwater tanks are running low too which isn't a good thing. 

Derek takes one last look at the almost new jetty on the edge of the dried up lake before strapping his tools back onto the motorbike and heading back the sheds. 

It was a peaceful ride. The cool night breeze starting to kick in as the sun begins to set behind the tall trees. He rides slowly towards the sheds wanting to make the moment last knowing soon he won't be able to distract  himself from the thought of Laura. He shakes his head looking back towards the sheds noticing that the farm hands vehicles weren't parked out the front. They must have knocked off early to go to the bar, Derek thinks, silently hoping Stiles went with them because he knows he will ask questions about why he didn't come to breakfast or lunch. He wasn't in the mood to talk or eat for that matter. He's been trying to keep himself busy all day with the jetty, not letting himself stop for a minute because once he stopped focusing on his work then his mind would jump to Laura's death. 

So caught up in his thoughts not concentrating on what he was doing he didn't realise how close the shed was and he slams on the breaks turning the bike as it comes to stop right next to it. A few more metres and he would have went straight through the tin wall. He lets out a deep breath putting his feet on the ground to keep the bike standing. Wouldn't have that been ironic? If he crashed the bike and died then and there? Exactly a year after his last family member died... imagine that. He shakes his head laughing to himself, boarder line hysterical as he drops his head onto his hands which were leaning on the handle bars. 

"Derek?" A voice calls from a distance but he couldn't tell who it was, too caught up in his thoughts, his mind as foggy like early winter mornings unable to think clearly. He lifts his head to spot Stiles walking towards him from the farm house down the driveway. He sighs knowing there's no way he could get out of this without answering questions. 

"Stiles." Derek responds in a rough voice and he quickly clears his throat as he climbs off the bike walking it into the shed. 

"Where have you been all day man? I was getting worried." Stiles says as Derek kicks the bike stand down walking out the shed to find Stiles standing right there. The younger man suddenly freezes taking in Derek’s appearance, his face turning into concern and confusion. "What happened?" He quickly asks and if Derek wasn't mistaken his voice sounded suddenly protective.

"Nothing." Derek replies emotionlessly but he knew Stiles could tell he was lying. His eyes were no doubt a little red and he knew he had bags under them. He sighs suddenly feeling exhausted. His sleepless night, no food and working all day straight finally catching up with him. "It's nothing Stiles, just go." Derek says his voice a bit stronger as he walks past the boy and heads towards the hut when suddenly Stiles’ hand grabs his bicep stopping him. Derek turns his head meeting Stiles stare. 

"When things get bad don't push me away. You know I'm here for you Derek, what happened?" Stiles asks his voice now soft as he releases his grip. 

Derek drops his head staring at the ground with a shake of his head. "I said it's nothing." Derek repeated his tone slightly angry in hopes Stiles would leave him alone.

"Right... so avoiding me and the farm hands all day and starting work at the crack of dawn without breakfast. Then working all day without a lunch break and then nearly crashing into the shed here a few minutes ago. Yes, I saw and I also can see how tired you look. So all this means there's nothing wrong?" Stiles questions without taking a breath in between points and Derek looks up but facing away from the boy not able to look at his eyes.

"Today marks one year since Laura was killed." Derek answers softly closing his eyes, reminding himself to breath. Laura was the only one he had left, they were the closest of the four siblings and after the fire they became even closer. Relying on each other and always looking out for one another. Whenever Derek would worry about their future, knowing that they couldn't live on the run forever. Laura would respond with 'as long as we have each other we will be just fine' but now she's gone because of Kate, which is his fault. He was the one who bought Kate close to his family. He let her into all their lives and now they are all dead because of him and nothing Stiles could possibly say will make that better.


	15. Chapter 15

*Slight Captain America: The First Avengers spoilers in this chapter*

 

"Derek I am so sorry I had no idea." Stiles replies staring at the man in shock. He wasn't sure what to expect when he asked but he honestly wouldn't have thought this. "No wonder you avoided everyone today." 

Derek didn't respond to that, not sure what else to say. He was exhausted but the last thing he wanted to do was sleep. "What time is it?" Derek asks turning to face Stiles who was watching him carefully.

"7pm, do you want tea? Dad put the leftovers in the fridge before he went to work, he's got night duty." Stiles offers but Derek shakes his head. 

"Not hungry." Derek answers looking away from Stiles as he gives him a sympathetic look. 

"Alright, I won't force you to eat but I'm not gonna leave you alone." The younger boy says putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort but Derek shakes his head. "No. You were there for me when Angel died and made sure I wasn't alone and now I'm gonna do the same for you because that's what friends do." 

"You don't have to Stiles, I'm okay. I will be fine on my own." Derek responds but even by the tone in his voice it was clear he wasn't fine. He hasn't been 'okay' for years but he's learnt to live with it and deal with his fucked up life on his own.

“Well bad luck because I'm not going anywhere. Now go have a shower and then come to the farm house, we'll watch movies or something." Stiles says as the two of them both walk towards the farm house down the drive way. 

"As long as it isn't a chick flick." Derek responds with a soft smile and Stiles shakes his head.

"Nah man, we're gonna have a Marvel marathon, it's gonna be epic!" Stiles replies with a grin and Derek shakes his head before turning away from Stiles heading towards the hut. 

"By the way Derek, you should still be wearing the knee brace." Stiles calls out causing Derek to roll his eyes as he walks into the hut. 

-

By the time it was 9pm the boys were spread out on the Stilinski's couch half way through the first Captain America movie. Stiles had made popcorn and before even the first 10 minutes it was gone. They watched the movies in silence... well minus Stiles quoting his favourite parts and Derek asking the occasional question when he gets confused. He's seen some of the older Marvel movies like the Hulk and the first Ironman, Thor and Captain America movies but more recent ones are completely new to him. 

Stiles was currently sitting on top of couch on the head rest while Derek was sitting on the floor leaning against the couch. They both watch intensely as Captain America crashes the plane into the ice. 

"When did you even get up there?" Derek questions looking over his shoulder to find Stiles still up on the back of couch. 

"Like half an hour ago, it's comfy and Dad never lets me sit like this." Stiles says with a cheeky grin and Derek rolls his eyes as he takes a drink of his beer Stiles had gotten him from the fridge earlier. 

"What movie next?" Derek asks putting the empty bottle down next to him.

"The Avengers obviously, we are going in order until we either finish all of them or we both fall asleep." Stiles responds getting up off the couch and walking towards the kitchen. "Want another beer?" 

"You sure your Dad won't mind?" Derek asks looking towards the door. 

"Dad barely drinks anyway, he'll be happy they're getting used." Stiles responds walking back into the lounge room throwing Derek the beer. 

"I'm impressed you aren't having a drink." Derek says opening the cap.

"My Dad’s the Sheriff, he would somehow know if I had a drink." Stiles replies jumping back onto the couch and Derek nods taking a drink before turning his attention back to the movie.

As the night goes on Derek looses track of the time, him and Stiles both now lying on the couch together. Derek can't even remember how they both ended up there or how they were practically spooning to both fit on the couch. Usually Derek would want anything other than to be in this situation but right now  he honestly didn't care. He was relaxed, maybe half due to the five empty beers in the bin but it felt good lying there next to Stiles and for the first time in five years he honestly felt happy. 

He doesn't know when but he must have fallen asleep. The last thing he remembers was watching the post credit scene for Guardians of the Galaxy. He opens his eyes slowly to find Stiles lying on him with his head resting on the side on his chest. His arm was around the younger mans upper back and he smiles to himself unable to help the feeling of how right this seems. 

He glances up the to clock on the wall realising it was 8am, he’s shocked he managed to sleep that long and not wake up from nightmares. He looks back down at Stiles, the boy still peacefully asleep. Derek smiles softly before climbing off the couch carefully to not wake him. He walks into the kitchen grabbing a glass of water noticing the Sheriff’s car keys on the bench. He glances down the hallway to find the Sheriffs bed room door shut. He must have went straight to bed after his night shift, Derek thinks before he starts making breakfast. 

He just finishes frying the bacon when he hears someone walk into the room. Derek looks over his shoulder to find a half asleep Stiles staring at him in confusion and shock. 

"Man I could get use to this." Stiles mutters as he grabs a glass of water and Derek rolls his eyes.

"Good morning to you too." Derek replies serving up the eggs and bacon as Stiles takes a seat at the table.

"How long were you awake for after I fell asleep?" Derek asks taking a bite of his food and Stiles shrugs his shoulders.

"Would have been like 10 minutes maybe. You make a comfy pillow by the way." Stiles adds and Derek shakes his head with laugh. 

They continue eating, talking about the movies they just watched and wash the dishes before they go their separate ways to have a shower and change into work clothes. 

"When will the others get back do you think?" Derek asks meeting Stiles by his Jeep noticing the boy was a wearing a new pair of work jeans with his cowboy boots. 

"They are all with their girls so I would say after lunch some time I think, why?" Stiles asks putting his hat on.

"I got something to show you, follow me in your Jeep." Derek says walking towards the farm ute without giving the boy a chance to ask questions. 

He puts the ute into gear and heads towards the lake, glancing in the revision mirror making sure Stiles' Jeep was behind him. 

They pull up in front of the dried up and lake and both get out their vehicles when Stiles suddenly gasps obviously noticing the jetty.

"You did that? Oh my God!" Stiles responds jogging over to the fishing platform as Derek follows him. "You fixed it! How? When?"

"Yesterday, I needed something to focus on and I knew you wanted it fixed." Derek responds and Stiles just smiles. 

"You are amazing!" Stiles says walking onto the jetty. "Hey, you extended it! This just keeps getting better and better." Stiles says jumping off the end of the platform landing on the ground next to Derek. He trips over a rock nearly falling but Derek grabs his shoulders to keep him up right. "Sorry, I'm always tripping on stuff." Stiles comments looking up at Derek who still had his hands on his shoulders. 

"I noticed." Derek replies softly looking at Stiles who's face was only inches away. They stay like that for a few seconds neither daring to talk as Derek glances down at Stiles lips and back to his eyes. Not thinking clearly Derek begins to lean in and Stiles follows his lead as he closes his eyes and their lips touch. He moves one of his hands off the boys shoulder, cupping his cheek as he kisses Stiles passionately. His mouth was warm, the caress of his lips softer than he could have imagined. Stiles tastes tenderly with his tongue and Derek opens his mouth slightly with a low moan. Everything about the kiss feels perfect and Derek could tell Stiles felt the same as Stiles rests his hand on Derek's hip kissing him deeply. 

Out of no where images of Kate fill his head, the feel her touching him and the sweet fake tone in her voice. Suddenly Derek pulls back as if he's been burnt and takes a few panicked steps back. 

"We can't. I- I can't do this." Derek quickly mutters avoiding Stiles eyes of disappointment. 

"Derek-" Stiles tries to say as he takes a step forward but he cuts him off.

"I should have never done that. Fuck. I can't do this." Derek says running his hands through his hair on the verge of a panic attack. He can't be with Stiles, he can't drag Stiles into his world of death and destruction. Everyone he loves dies and not to mention the last person he was with lied and used him. He can't be with Stiles, it will destroy everything.

"Is it because I'm a guy?" Stiles questions interrupting Derek's thoughts causing him to look over at the boy who was wearing a confused and half angry expression.

"What? No. No I don't care about that. But I can't do this. Fuck. I'm sorry Stiles I gotta go." Derek quickly responds and without another word he rushes back towards the farm ute and drives off leaving Stiles standing there shocked and utterly confused. 

\- 

*A few hours later*

"Dude, Stiles slow down what happened?"  
Scott asks putting his hand on his friends shoulder as they walk into his room. Stiles puts his head in his hands shaking his head. 

"I screwed everything up." Stiles states thinking back to the moment on the lake two hours ago. 

"Dude its Derek! You guys fight and argue all the time, I'm sure everything will work out but tell me what happened, from the start and breath." Scott says softly taking a seat next to Stiles on his bed.

"Last night Derek was upset because it's been a year since his sister died... don't ever repeat that to anyone. Anyway, that's why he wasn't at breakfast or lunch yesterday. So I tried cheering him up and we had a Marvel marathon because unlike you Derek actually likes Marvel." Stiles explains and Scott rolls his eyes.

"I don't hate Marvel! I just like DC better." Scott interrupts and Stiles actually laughs.

"Anyway, we both fell asleep on the couch and I woke up in the middle of the night and we were literally spooning!" Stiles explains and Scott's eyes go wide. 

"Is that a bad thing though? I thought you liked him?" Scott asks and Stiles shakes his head.

"That's not the point. Anyway, the next day he took me to the lake to show me something and he fixed the jetty! God, he fixed the old wooden platform and I was just so happy I wasn't concentrating on where I was walking and I tripped and he caught me-"

"Stiles, breath." Scott adds and Stiles takes a breath staring at the ground.

"We kissed! We kissed and it just felt so damn right you know? It was perfect and it felt as if he really wanted me... but then pulled back and said that he 'couldn't do this' and left." Stiles explains and Scott takes a few seconds to process the news.

"If it felt like that then what made him pull back? Did you kiss him first and he wasn't expecting it or something?" Scott asks and Stiles his head.

"He made the first move, I didn't even know what was happening till his lips were on mine. I screwed everything up, I should have stopped the kiss or something." Stiles says helplessly.

"If he kissed you first then he obviously wanted it just as much as you did Stiles." Scott replies.

"Then why did he react how he did afterwards?" Stiles questions putting his head in his hands confused.

"Maybe he was scared? Maybe he thought it would make things awkward between you two? I don't know but just give him some time alright. The two of you always work stuff out no matter what it is, the two of you are basically inseparable. Just give him some time."

-

Once again he had a sleepless night. He deserved it though, he shouldn't have kissed Stiles. He should have controlled himself. He promised that he'd never let anyone get that close to him again yet he'd straight up kissed the guy and then ran away. 

He's fucked everything up, but he can't be with Stiles, he just can't do that to him. 

"Fuck!" Derek yells turning around punching the wooden wall of the barn behind him and he winces at the sudden pain it causes. He looks down at his now bloodied knuckles and shakes his head. How the hell did he let this happen? 

"Hey Derek! Isaac will be here soon with the truck of new young cows, we're gonna need your help." Parrish shouts and Derek turns around spotting the man down the drive way. 

"I will be there in a minute." Derek shouts back as Parrish drives off towards the cattle yards. Derek sighs looking back down at his knuckles the blood dripping to the ground. He wipes it on the side of jeans before climbing onto the motorbike and heading towards the cattle yards.

He pulls up under the tree next to the farm hands utes and Stiles’ Jeep. He spots everyone opening and closing specific gates in the yards as Isaac's truck comes up the driveway. 

Derek takes a deep breath and climbs the fence getting straight to work, working on autopilot trying not to think of the incident with Stiles. After 20 minutes all the cattle were off he truck and separated into heifers and bulls. He then goes to the shed grabbing the ear tag gun to do his usual job of tagging the new cattle while Boyd drenches their backs for ticks and the others go to greet Isaac. 

"What's going on with you Derek you haven't seemed yourself lately." Boyd says behind him as he drenches the bull Derek just tagged.

"Nothing just something I need to sort out before it gets worse." He responds moving onto the next bull.

"Is this about Stiles? He doesn't seem himself either." Boyd comments and Derek freezes shaking his head turning to face the other man. "Derek watch out!" Boyd suddenly shouts as the bull steps backwards pinning Derek's right leg between the bull and metal fence. Derek shouts out in pain feeling his fractured knee flare in agony. He tries to pull his leg but it only causes more pain. 

"Derek?" He hears Stiles voice call in panic from a distance but he was too focused on trying to get the bull to move.

"Come on! Move!" Boyd shouts grabbing the bulls tail and twisting it while pushing causing the bull to take a few steps forward. That was all he needed and Derek could pull his leg out. He quickly jumps the fence to get away from the bull and falls to the ground from the pressure the jump caused his knee. 

"You okay?" Boyd asks jumping the fence walking over to him and Derek nods accepting Boyd's hand to help him up. 

"You guys alright? What happened?" Scott asks as Derek turns around to find Scott, Isaac and Stiles rushing over to them. 

"A bull didn't like Derek tagging him and pinned him between the fence." Boyd answers and Stiles quickly turns to Derek with a worried expression as Derek wipes the sweat off his forehead with his hand. Stiles’ eyes fly towards Derek's hand and his worried expression quickly turns into guilt and sympathy after seeing his bloodied knuckles. Derek quickly takes his hand down hiding his knuckles and avoiding Stiles eyes. 

"You okay Derek?" Isaac asks and Derek turns his attention to the curly haired boy not expecting his question. 

"I'm fine." Derek responds and Isaac nods before turning to Stiles. "Tell the sheriff I said hi and I'll probably see you guys at the bar next Friday." Isaac says as he walks back to his truck.

"Thanks Lahey." Stiles shouts and the boy gives them the thumbs up before climbing into his semi-truck driving off. 

"I'll finish tagging the cattle Derek, go have a break." Parrish offers but Derek shakes his head.

"I can do it, it's fine." Derek responds and Parrish gives him a stern look before nodding. 

"I suppose we should go get their paddock ready." Scott says looking at Stiles and Parrish and they nod before walking towards their vehicles as Derek and Boyd get back to tagging and drenching the cattle.

-

He sits down on the edge of his bed putting his head in his hands. 

"Stiles can hardly look at me. I have stuffed everything up and now he hates me!" Derek mutters pushing himself up as he takes a few steps into his kitchen grabbing the packet of painkillers. He takes a couple for his knee which was now red and swollen again. 

He puts the painkillers back, opening the fridge grabbing his flask of whiskey he keeps for special occasions. He takes a swig of it leaning against the kitchen bench. This wasn't a special occasion but he really needs some sort of alcohol if he wants to get through the night. The Sheriff has organisation a small barbecue get to together, nothing huge but he knew everyone would be there including Erica and Lydia but Allison was busy or something which Derek was glad of. With the mood he is in right now he wouldn't be able to deal with Scott and Allison together. He rubs his knee gently trying to numb the pain before heading out the door towards the farm house. 

He finds everyone out the back of the house all standing and sitting around the Sheriff’s new outdoor furniture or out in the yard by a bonfire. He eyes the fire carefully and takes note of every exit point around the area before looking around to see who's here. He spots Erica and Boyd leaning against the back wall of the house talking with Parrish who had his arm around Lydia. Derek smiles to himself happy Parrish finally asked her out. He turns back towards the fire and spots Stiles and Scott talking to each other, he watches for a few seconds but turns away as Stiles laughs and smiles at something Scott said. 

"Hey Derek, glad you decided to join us." The Sheriff’s voice says and he turns around to find the Sheriff standing by the barbecue with a friendly smile. 

"Thanks for inviting me." Derek says as he makes his way over to the older man who hands him a beer and Derek nods his thanks. 

They stand there for a while making small talk. The sheriff talks about his day and Derek talks about the cattle they got delivered this morning, leaving out the part about the bull pinning him between the fence. 

"You know Stiles thinks the world of you." The sheriff suddenly says glancing over at him and Derek must have had a shocked expression because the Sheriff sighs. "He talks about you a lot, ever since you first came here I noticed he's different when you're around. He's a lot more happier and acts a certain way that I haven't seen him like since his mother passed away." The Sheriff shakes his head as he turns the steak on the barbecue before continuing. "I know something happened between the two of you, I ask him about it but he won't talk to me. I've seen the way you look at him Derek and the way my boy looks at you." 

"I'm sorry Sheriff-" Derek tries to say but the older man cuts him off.

"There's nothing to say sorry for. My boy is old enough to make his own decisions about who he dates. Back when Stiles got bitten by the snake and I saw you sitting in the waiting room. I knew from the look in your eyes that you cared about Stiles more than just a friend. At first I wasn’t sure how to feel about it because well you are five years older than him. But seeing you in the waiting room and seeing how broken you looked when you thought Stiles was going to die... I knew right there and then that you truly cared about him. My father was eight years older than my mother and they turned out just fine, I don’t have a problem with the age gap.” 

“But I just need to say something. Stiles has had a rough upbringing with his mother passing away and having to fill her space on the farm in such a short amount of time. It was extremely hard on him and I don't want want to see the that sad and devastated look on his face again. Stiles deserves to be treated right. So whatever happened between the two of you, you need to work it out because you both deserve to be happy and it's clear right now neither of you are." The Sheriff says and Derek sighs nodding. 

"I know and the last thing I want to do is hurt Stiles in anyway, but he deserves so much better." Derek answers looking down the ground as he fiddles with his bottle of beer. 

"You deserve to be happy too Derek, alright?" The Sheriff says putting his hand on his shoulder and Derek nods. He glances back towards the fire both to make sure it was still inside the circle of rocks and to also make sure Stiles was still there. He turns back quickly after Scott made eye contact with him and excused himself from the Sheriff to go use the bathroom in the farm house.

He leans on the sink trying to get a grip on himself, he needs to talk to Stiles but he has no idea what to say. Stiles deserves so much better but that's the problem because Derek doesn't want Stiles to be with anyone else but him. 

Too focused on his thoughts he doesn't hear or see Stiles walk into the room calling his name until his hand was on his shoulder with a concerned face. 

"Derek, you alright?" Stiles asks and Derek straightens up quickly and takes a few steps back in surprise. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." Stiles quickly adds and Derek shakes his head. 

"We need to talk." Derek says running his hands through his hair and Stiles nods in agreement, they stand there for a few minutes as Derek tries to find the right words. "I'm sorry. Fuck. You deserve so much better than me, my life... it's not something you should get involved with. You can do a lot better than me Stiles-" 

"Stop." Stiles says sternly and Derek looks over at the boy who was watching him carefully. "Only I can decide what I do and don't deserve and I like you Derek. I like you a lot and frankly, I don't give a fuck if you think I deserve better because I don't want better, I want you. That's if you still want me?" Stiles asks slightly nervously as he fiddles with the string on his flannel. 

"You're crazy to think I ever stopped wanting you." Derek says walking towards Stiles forgetting everything as he pulls the boy close to him and their lips hit. "Are you sure you want this?" Derek asks softly pulling back a little bit. 

"Shut up and kiss me." Stiles mutters pulling Derek close to him and Derek couldn't help but smile as their lips touch again pulling each other close.


	16. Chapter 16

***the next day***

"Wait wait wait are you guys like a thing? Like together?" Scott asks as Derek and Stiles walk over very close together.

"Yes we are." Stiles replies and Derek puts his arm over Stiles' shoulders as they walk towards the cottage, where the others are sitting waiting for breakfast.

"Finally!" Parrish says with a huge grin. "You guys have basically been drooling over each other for the past few months without knowing it."

"He's not wrong, I'm happy for you guys." Boyd responds with a smile as they take a seat. Derek was still worried about letting Stiles too close to him but the sheriff is right. They both like each other and deserve to be happy.

"What's on the agenda today Stilinski?" Parrish asks as his flips the pancakes on the barbecue.

"Dad says it's gonna rain a shit load this coming winter so I guess start preparing for the winter. Make sure everything is water proof, everything all tied down and secure in case of strong winter winds. Stuff like that because from the end of the week the weather is slowly gonna get colder and wetter." Stiles informs and Scott sighs.

"Thank God because I am getting sick of having to clean all the dust off my ute." Scott responds and Stiles rolls his eyes.

"Well you shouldn't have bought a bright red Toyota and you wouldn't have that problem!" Stiles teases and Derek leans back in his chair with a slight grin watching his boyfriend, knowing this won't end well... boyfriend... he likes the sound of that.

"Wait Stiles, you really can't be paying anyone out about their vehicle, have you seen yours? It's like a time bomb on wheels." Parrish adds in causing Scott to crack up laughing.

"Hey leave my baby out of this, she is a wonderful vehicle." Stiles says defensively and Derek rolls his eyes unable to hide his smile.

"By wonderful you mean basically held together by duck tap and not reliable at all?" Boyd asks.

"Hey! You can't talk, your Toyota pickup is older than my damn Jeep so I wouldn't say anything if I was you." Stiles responds and Derek nods.

"He's got you there Boyd." Derek says glancing at Stiles before Scott speaks.

"You don't own a car and have to drive the farm ute everywhere, you have no chance in this argument Derek." Scott says and Derek raises his eyebrows causing Stiles to laugh.

"Sorry Derek I can't even back you up with that argument." Stiles says with a smile and Derek rolls his eyes acting annoyed but he secretly loves this. Having the guys together talking and arguing over pointless stuff, having Stiles next to him laughing and smiling it just all seems too good to be true. He has a roof over his head, people around him who actually care about him, even though it has taken him nearly six months to realise it and now he has Stiles.

-

The next couple months go by in a flash, Derek and Stiles have gotten even closer and the farm is continuing as per normal. Maybe slightly better off after the Sheriff sold the last patch of pigs they had bred which racked up a bit off cash. The guys still go to the bar every Friday night and Derek feels bad knowing the reason Stiles doesn't go with them is because he doesn't go.

They are both currently lying on the couch together playing Crash Bandicoot. Stiles' lying with his head on Derek's lap as he tries and fails to pass the level they have been stuck on for hours.

"It's getting late I should go, we have to get up early tomorrow to unload hay bales." Derek says watching the screen as Stiles uses his last life up on the game and he groans in annoyance turning the PlayStation off.

"Wait you don't have to go." Stiles says sitting himself up next to Derek. "Dads working the night shift. Stay here the night, if you want to."

"Stiles are you sure that's a good idea? If your Dad catches me in your bed he won't hesitate to shoot me." Derek responds and Stiles rolls his eyes with a shake of his head.

"He never checks my room when he comes home from night shift he won't even know. Trust me we'll be fine." Stiles reassures grabbing Derek's hand who doesn't even bother arguing as Stiles pulls him down the hallway.

Within seconds of walking into Stiles' room they were on the bed making out. Derek on the bottom with Stiles above him kissing him tenderly while Derek's fingers entangled in Stiles' hair. It was just perfect.!

Slowly Derek could feel Stiles' fingers slide from his face down to his shirt. Button slowly after button coming undone and suddenly images of Kate flash through his mind. Her long skinny fingers running down his stomach followed by her tongue. _"Don't be a baby Derek this is what adults do."_ She would say whenever he told her to stop or that he didn't want to do it.

"Derek?" Stiles voice asks interrupting Derek's rather uncomfortable trip down memory lane. "You alright?" Stiles asks his voice soft with a hint a worry as he stops undoing the buttons on Derek's flannel. He looks up at him his eyes shining from the moon light coming through the window.

"Yeah." Derek responds shaking his head to get rid of the images of Kate and Stiles gives him a doubtful look.

"Your whole body just tensed up, are you sure?" Stiles asks carefully taking his hands off the buttons on his shirt.

"I'm sure." Derek responds grabbing Stiles and rolling them over so he was now on the top and Stiles' concerned look turns into a smile as they continue kissing.

Somehow Stiles has managed to take Derek's flannel and tank top off in the time it took Derek to just unbutton the boys flannel. They roll over again now with Derek lying on his bare back as Stiles places kisses down his neck. Creating a trail down to his chest and that's when the memories come flooding in again. Kate. Kate. Kate. Kate. Was all he could think off, the way she pressured him into doing stuff, threatening to tell people lies if he wouldn't do it. He closes his eyes trying to focus on Stiles. It's Stiles, he's not Kate, it's Stiles.

"Stop." Derek gasps suddenly unable to handle it any longer as he fights for breath. Stiles quickly stops what he was doing climbing off Derek immediately knowing something was wrong by the tone of his voice.

Derek moves to the side of the bed sitting himself up as he closes his eyes to try calm himself. Kate isn't here, this is Stiles not Kate, Derek thinks as he takes a deep breaths.

After a couple minutes Derek gets his breath back as Stiles breaks the silence. "I'm guessing it wasn't just a bad breakup with your ex Kate that traumatised you?" Stiles asks softly as he sits himself up watching Derek carefully who just nods and Stiles sighs. He isn't stupid. He quickly put the pieces together and figured out what's going on, he is the Sheriffs son after all. But with Derek's constant nightmares where he is telling Kate to stop, the way Derek reacted when Jackson's girlfriend sexually assaulted him and how when the guys start talking about sex Derek stays out of the conversation more than his usual lack of talking anyway. Stiles isn't stupid but he's annoyed it took him until now to put all the pieces together.

"I am so sorry, I should have asked you if all of this is okay." Stiles says in realisation and Derek shakes his head staring at the ground in front of him but Stiles could see wetness in his eyes.

"You didn't know. I didn't tell you. It's my fault." Derek says softly and Stiles notices his knuckles turning white from gripping the edge of the bed. He doesn't know what to do, he wants to wrap Derek up in his arms and tell him everything is okay. But he knew better than to touch Derek right now not after what just happened which Stiles is almost positive was flashbacks to whatever Kate did to him.

"Are you okay? Wait that's was a stupid question, I'm sorry, you obviously aren't okay. I really need to think before I say things out loud." Stiles quickly says without a breath and Derek smiles softly causing Stiles to smile too. "I would never push you into doing anything you don't want to do or would feel uncomfortable doing, alright? I need you to know that."

"I know and it's not you, it's.." Derek says loosing his words shaking his head. "After Paige I was a mess, then Kate began getting closer to me. Fuck. I thought she loved me but she didn't, she just wanted to use me. I was only 16, 17 and she was 27." Derek begins to explain and Stiles could see the way his fingers were trembling as he relives the memories.

"You don't have to tell me." Stiles says but Derek shakes his head.

"She would make me do stuff with her. But she would twist her words making it sound like she was giving me the choice but I knew there was no choice other than agreeing with her. She made it sound so normal and that every couple does this sort of stuff, whether they like it or not because a relationship without all that stuff and sex would fail. But the things she did to me... the things she made me do, I can't even think about sex now without feeling nauseous." Derek says putting his head in his hands. "I'm sorry Stiles I know I should have told you this earlier, I understand if you want me to leave." Derek adds and Stiles states at him in shock not expecting the last comment. Does Derek really think he wants him to leave because of this? What on Earth did Kate do to him? Stiles can probably guess the things she made him do but he doesn't want to think about it.

"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for and no way in hell would I ever want you to leave especially not because of this. This isn't your fault and there's more to relationships than just sex. There's passion, love, trust, respect, caring, loyalty, support, communication- I could keep going if you want. The point is those other qualities are what will carry relationships through time, not sex." Stiles replies and Derek actually turns around to face him making sure he heard the boy correctly.

"You believe that?" Derek asks with a glimpse of hope in his voice and Stiles nods moving over so he was now sitting next to Derek and he places his hand on the older mans thigh.

"Derek, I think I'm in love with you." Stiles admits softly. "So you are stuck with me for a long long long time. That long you will be trying to plot my death because you will get sick of me." Stiles says and Derek shakes his head.

"If I was gonna get sick of you I would have already, especially after the long hours we've spent in the car together driving into Beacon Hills." Derek says and Stiles chuckles with a nod before they go silent and Derek puts his hand on top of Stiles', "I would say I love you too but that isn't strong enough. I trust you Stiles, I have trusted you since I first got here and that honestly scares the hell out of me. I trust you and for me that is stronger than saying 'I love you'." Derek says and Stiles smiles as Derek gives him a kiss. "But I do love you, in case that wasn't clear." Derek adds and Stiles sighs with relief as he entangles his fingers around Derek's.

-

"Boys!" The Sheriff's voice shouts. Derek's eyes fly open in an instant, jumping backwards in the bed when the back of his head cracks into the wall behind him. He hisses in pain grabbing the back of his head and looks up to where the Sheriff's voice came from. He is standing in the door way to Stiles' room in his uniform with his arms crossed over his chest.

"And I thought I was the clumsy one." Stiles mutters sleepily and Derek glances to him to find Stiles lying next to him covered in blankets. Well that's where my half of the blankets went, Derek thinks to himself before turning back to the Sheriff. He quickly climbs out of Stiles' bed realising that's why the older mans arms are crossed.

"Sir it's not what it looks like I swear." Derek quickly says standing himself up only just realising he was wearing nothing but his boxer shorts.

"Relax, I just came to tell Stiles that Melissa called and said she's having a small get together at the bar for her birthday tonight. All you guys are invited, she booked out the bar for the night too." The Sheriff informs and Derek nods still holding the back of his head which he could feel was starting to form an egg.

"Yes! It's a private party at the bar? Which means underage kids can drink?" Stiles asks hopefully and the Sheriff nods causing Stiles to fist pump the air in joy and Derek shakes his head with a smile.

"Also boys I don't want any of this in my house." The Sheriff says motioning towards the bed.

"We didn't do anything Dad, we just slept." Stiles says defensively and the Sheriff gives him a doubtful look.

"Good, keep it that way." His father replies walking out the door. "Coffee is ready by the way." He shouts over his shoulder and Derek sighs sitting back down on the bed in relief.

"I thought your Dad was going to shoot me." Derek mutters as Stiles sits himself up in bed.

"He wouldn't do that, he needs you around here." Stiles responds and Derek rolls his eyes grabbing his jeans off the floor putting them back on. "What the hell! How the heck didn't I notice you had a tattoo earlier?" Stiles suddenly asks and Derek looks over his shoulder to find Stiles staring at his back with shocked eyes.

"You've only seen me shirtless once so you wouldn't have noticed it earlier." Derek replies and Stiles shakes his head.

"No, I should have noticed it last night but I was a little distracted with your demigod like body." Stiles responds and Derek rolls his eyes. "Does it mean something?" Stiles asks as he traces the spirals on Derek's back.

"It's a triskelion, which is a Celtic symbol that can mean different things to different people." Derek explains and Stiles nods waiting for him to continue. "You see the three spirals? Each spiral represents something, for some it could be three names, three places, a three worded saying and so on."

"What does it mean to you?" Stiles asks still tracing the black spirals between Derek's shoulder blades.

"Mother, father, siblings." Derek answers looking over his shoulder at Stiles. "Laura had a smaller version of it on her wrist. We saved up our money from doing jobs for people and got it done a year after the fire, sort of like a way to remember them and to always have them with us."

"That is really beautiful, I've always wanted to get a tattoo but I hate needles so that's never happening." Stiles responds with a laugh before standing up putting his jeans on himself. "As much as I don't want you to put a shirt on, we better get changed and start work otherwise my Dad might actually shoot you." Stiles says throwing Derek his tank top and flannel admiring his perfectly sculpted abs and V-line for a little while longer.

-

The weather was getting cooler week by week but right now it felt like a sauna outside. Derek was currently hefting hay bales off Isaacs semi-truck. He throws them onto the ground next to the old barn where Stiles and Isaac began to stack them in rows. The semi trailer was only half full of bales but that was still a lot of bales to lift.

"Where are the other farm hands?" Isaac shouts as Derek throws another bale down to them.

"In town with their girls, they usually get back here by lunch time." Derek hears Stiles answer as he grabs the strings of another bale waiting for the boys to move out the way before throwing the next one down.

"Tell me again why I got stuck with the shit job?" Derek questions wiping the sweat off his forehead before grabbing another bale.

"Because you my dear friend have biceps bigger than the two of us so it's your own fault." Isaac answers truthfully and Derek laughs shaking his head.

"Well I can't argue with that logic." Stiles adds watching Derek's muscle flex under the long flannel that's stuck to his skin from sweat.

They continue stacking the hay bales until the truck was empty before heading inside the farm house for a glass of cold water and lunch. The three of them sit at the table eating ham and cheese sandwiches that Stiles quickly made while talking about anything and everything. Isaac and Stiles tell stories about the stupid stuff them and Scott did back in high school. Derek found it rather amusing and the boys seemed to be enjoying the trip down memory lane as they retell the stories. Like the time Ethan and Aidan were being jerks to them so Isaac rode one the twins motorbikes inside the school and left it in the hallway which got Ethan suspended.

"What about that time you and McCall pranked Coach and everything hanging from his office walls fell to the ground?" Isaac says and Stiles couldn't even respond, he was too busy bursting into laughter and Derek couldn't help himself and laughs with them. He misses laughing and reliving happy memories like this. Him and Laura would do it occasionally on the nights lying in his old Toyota when neither of them could fall asleep. They would talk about happy memories they had at school and on the farm with their parents and little siblings. Laura's favourite memory was when her and Derek taught Cora how to ride a horse. The look of pure joy and excitement on her face when they took their younger sister on her first ride around the farm is something he will never forget.

They use to lye awake till the early hours of the morning sharing memories, making sure the other focuses on the good moments and not the bad ones. He knew Laura did that to try stop both of them from having nightmares but it never helped. Every night he'd wake up screaming and Laura would be there holding him, telling him that he was safe and that it was just a bad dream. He did the same for her whenever she'd wake up screaming and crying. The two of them would lye awake for hours before they were able to fall back asleep. He would give anything to have Laura back. Even to just see her face one last time. To hear her soothing voice and see her smile just one more time. He would give anything for that. But he knew that will never happened, she would want him to try find a way to move on, try find a way to be happy which he hasn't been in years but then he met Stiles. At first he wasn't sure what to think of the kid, with his nonstop talking and sarcastic comments. But Stiles grew on him quickly, he was a hard worker and looked out for his friends and family. Yeah Stiles was six years younger than him but their relationship was nothing like Derek and Kate's. They cared for each other and both of them were truly happy together, that's something Derek thought he'd never get to experience.

They spend the rest of the day cutting down old dead trees around the property. Derek with the chain saw cutting down the smaller dead ones while Stiles drives the front end loader pushing the trees over. Allowing Derek to cut them in nice sized pieces ready to be chopped with an axe.

"It's way to hot to be doing this!" Stiles shouts turning the engine off climbing out the front end loader.

"How do you think I feel? You got to sit in a tractor." Derek responds as he cuts the last piece of wood putting the chainsaw down. His long sleeve flannel long forgotten as he takes off his hat using it as a fan.

"And I had a damn good view watching you cut wood in a white tank top that is turning see through from sweat by the way." Stiles says with a wink and Derek raises his eyebrows in response.

"Thats because I have been doing more work." Derek says walking towards Stiles who rolls his eyes.

"Without me in the loader you wouldn't have had a chance at getting those dead trees, so you owe me a thank you." Stiles teases grabbing Derek's hand.

"Is that so?" Derek asks pulling Stiles closer with a grin before kissing him. "Is that good enough?" Derek asks resting their foreheads together and Stiles nods softly with a smile before giving Derek a quick kiss.

"We should probably start getting ready for Melissa's party, you are coming right?" Stiles asks and Derek shrugs. He isn't much of a party guy and the last time he was at the bar it did not end well. "Melissa hired out the bar for the night so it will only be us, the other farm hands and maybe a few of Melissa's friends from the hospital and that's it. Trust me it won't be a huge thing just a small group of people having a few drinks and possibly a birthday cake and that would be it."

"Alright, I guess it can't hurt to go for a few hours." Derek replies and Stiles smiles happily.

"Yes!" Stiles shouts with excitement grabbing Derek's hand pulling him towards the farm ute. "Let's go, we need to find you nice clothes to wear."

"Firstly, I can dress myself and secondly you need to put the front end loader back in the shed before we go." Derek responds nodding back towards the loader and Stiles sighs.

"Crap. Meet me at your hut and I will help find nice clothes for you." Stiles shouts over his shoulder as he jogs towards the loader climbing up its ladder into the cab. Derek shakes his head with a smile grabbing the chainsaw off the ground putting it in the tray of the ute before driving towards the hut.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,  
> Sorry for the late update, I’ve been slammed with assignment for uni and haven’t had much time to write. But here are the next two chapters, I hope you guys enjoy them :) 
> 
> See you guys next week, stay safe everyone xx


	17. Chapter 17

"Loosen up man, the party will be fine. You don't even have to talk to anyone other than me and the guys if you don't want to." Stiles says and Derek glances over to him before focusing back on the road as they drive into Beacon Hills.

"I know. I know. I just have a bad feeling that I can't shake." Derek answers truthfully pulling into the car park

"You'll be fine, this will be good for you." Stiles insists climbing out the farm ute. "C'mon let's go have fun and have a few drinks." He says grabbing Derek's hand who sighs with a nod as they walk towards the front door. But he couldn't shake the feeling that this was a bad idea. Maybe he's just paranoid because of what happened last time. Stiles is right tonight will be fun and it's for Melissa. 

"Boys I'm so glad you made it!" Melissa's voice calls as they walk through the door finding the older woman walking towards them. She wasn't in her usual nurse uniform she was in black jeans and a nice jacket with her long curly hair down. Derek glances around the room quickly noticing the sheriff and few other people sitting at the tables. Derek recognises one of them as the doctor who helped Stiles when he was bitten by the snake. 

"Scott told me you guys are together, I'm happy for you boys." Melissa says pulling them both in for a hug. 

"Hey! Stilinski! Derek! Over here." Someone calls and they look over to find the farm hands plus Erica, Lydia and Isaac sitting by the bar on the other side of the room. Derek and Stiles wish Melissa a happy birthday before heading over to the others. 

"Hey guys and ladies." Stiles greets as they take a seat at the bar. "Scotty where's Allison?" 

"She and her dad will be here in a couple hours, they are picking up their new truck apparently." Scott answers as he takes a drink of his beer. 

"You two need drinks!" Erica suddenly says climbing off Boyd's lap walking around the bar. "Especially you Stiles! You, Scott and Isaac since you're all underage." She adds sliding Derek and Stiles a couple beers.

"I'm not getting drunk Erica, my dad is here and Scott's mum is here." Stiles replies glancing over to where his dad was sitting. 

"Well too bad because I think Isaac is already drunk." Lydia comments glancing over at the boy as Parrish takes the bottle of vodka out his hands and Stiles laughs. 

-

The group of them barely move from the bar minus Parrish and Lydia who were currently dancing together in the middle of the room to whatever country song was on. Scott and Stiles stopped drinking an hour ago as they could start to feel the effects of alcohol and didn't want to become drunk in front of their parents. But the others kept drinking mainly because they are use to alcohol and can handle it better so Scott and Stiles stuck to soft drink. 

Melissa cut her cake earlier and everyone sang happy birthday to her. Erica made her a birthday cake martini and mixed up mini birthday cake vodka shots for everyone.  

The older adults all sat around the tables near the back playing some sort of card games whiles Stiles and his friends were still all crowded around the bar laughing and having a good time together. Stiles hadn't seen Derek so relaxed and happy since... well never.

"Stiles have you seen Derek?" Isaac asks leaning over the other side of the bar so he could see Stiles. Isaac stopped drinking a while ago and was slowly turning more sober. 

"I have. He's really beautiful." Stiles answers with a grin.

"Um.. that's not exactly what I meant, but sure." Isaac says rolling his eyes. "Where is he really? I want to verse him in an arm wrestle." 

"He went to the bathroom and do you really think that's a good idea? You will lose your manly hood Lahey because there's no way you'll win." Stiles responds when suddenly a familiar arm wraps over his shoulders as Derek kisses his cheek. 

"Who's not going to win what?" Derek asks sitting down on the stool next to Stiles. 

"Isaac wants to verse you in an arm wrestle."  
Stiles says not able to hold his laughter in anymore and Derek raises his eyebrows at the curly haired boy. 

"10 bucks on Derek!" Scott suddenly shouts joining in on the conversation as Isaac moves around the other side of the bar and sits down so he's opposite Derek.

"You sure you wanna do this Lahey, the alcohol in your system is giving you an over amount of confidence." Parrish says as he and Lydia sit down next to Boyd watching the other two as they rest their elbows on the bar mat. 

"Someone count down for us." Derek says as he rolls the sleeves up of his country western shirt as he grabs Isaac hand ready to start. 

"Alright on three. One. Two. Three." Stiles says and in an instant Isaacs hand was slammed down on the bar mat and everyone erupts in laughter. 

"How's that confidence going for you Isaac?" Lydia teases and the boy rolls his eyes. 

"He must be on some sort of steroids or something, no one can be that strong!" Isaac exclaims and Derek laughs shaking his head. 

"Give it up Lahey, you lost. Derek is stronger than you, in fact he's probably stronger than all you guys." Stiles says and Derek raises his eyebrows at him as if to say 'seriously?!'

"Alright challenge accepted." Parrish suddenly says jumping over the bar to take places with Isaac.

"Oh this is not going to end well." Lydia mutters watching her boyfriend. 

"You don't have to." Derek says but Parrish shakes his head bringing his hand up ready to start.

"C'mon Parrish!" Isaac cheers and Derek grins glancing at Stiles with a nod.

"Alright. One. Two. Three!" Stiles counts and both the men push as hard as they could against each other but slowly Parrish's hand gets closer and closer to the table until Derek wins.

"Told you nobody could beat him!" Stiles says with a proud smile putting his hand on Derek's shoulder who just rolls his eyes as he leans over the bar grabbing two beers and handing one to Parrish. 

"This is great entertainment for the night, someone else go against Derek!" Scott says but everyone shakes their heads not wanting to make a fool out of themselves.

"Boyd?" Isaac asks and the other man shakes his head. 

"That's not a question I need answered." He responds taking a drink of his beer.

"C'mon man you have the greatest chance out of all of us to beat Derek." Scott says glancing over at Derek who had his arm wrapped around Stiles shoulder rolling his eyes. 

"You're just bored Scott. Allison isn't here yet and you want something to do." Erica replies and he shrugs his shoulder not denying it.

"She sent me a text a few minutes ago, they'll be here soon." Scott replies checking his phone again and Stiles just laughs.

"Relax dude, she'll be here any minute." Stiles says before turning back to Derek who was glaring at him. "What?"

"You know what." Derek replies with a grin and Stiles rolls his eyes.

"You look hot when you arm wrestle and it can finally shut up the girls from bragging about how good and strong their boyfriends are because my boyfriend is better." Stiles says squeezing Derek's hand as he kisses him. 

"Get a room guys." Isaac mutters as he opens a can of soft drink. 

"Just because you aren't in a relationship Lahey." Stiles replies and Derek shakes his head. This group of friends really like to argue and pick on each other, but at least they know it's in good nature.

"Being single is way better man. Stuff being in a relationship!" Isaac comments taking a drink. "But no offence to you guys." He says glancing around at his friends when his eyes land on the door and Derek turns around to find Allison walking in. 

"Scott!" She yells happily running over to them and giving Scott a hug. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late dads just trying to find a park, have I missed much?" She asks sitting down on Scott's lap.

"Not much, just Isaac and Parrish getting their butts kicked by Derek in arm wrestles." Scott replies and Allison laughs. 

"Well no offence guys but have you seen Derek? There's no way any of you can beat him, even you Scott, sorry." Allison comments causing Derek to laugh.

"I should have seen that coming." Scott mutters as Erica hands Allison a drink before sitting back down next to Boyd. 

They all talked with Allison for a bit, Isaac asked about the new truck they picked up and Lydia and Erica started talking about some girls night they are planning. 

"Hey guys we need a group photo to put on the bars photo wall." Erica suddenly says nodding towards the photo wall behind the bar. "We haven't all been here at the same time for like ever, we need a group photo!" She adds walking around the other side of the bar pulling an old fashion camera out a draw. 

"C'mon guys this will be the most epic selfie!" Erica says sitting on top of the bar holding the camera up getting ready to take the photo. The group all bunch together, Boyd next to Erica with his hand on her shoulder followed by Lydia and Parrish with Scott and Allison standing behind them smiling happily. With Isaac next to Derek who has his arm wrapped around Stiles. "Say cheese!" Erica says as she snaps the photo. 

"That is definitely a keeper." Boyd comments as the photo prints out the camera and Erica pins in the middle of the board. 

"Look how cute Derek and Stiles are in this.” Lydia comments turning to the two of them and they both roll their eyes.

"Well I'm gonna go grab another slice of cake anyone else want any?" Stiles asks standing up and everyone nods. Stiles rolls his eyes as he walks over towards the adults where the cake was placed on a separate table.

Derek sits back down at his chair grabbing his beer and taking another drink. While Boyd and Isaac start arguing about who has the better ute. 

"Hey Derek can you help me carry these plates." Stiles shouts trying to balance four paper plates with slices of cake on them in his hands, Derek laughs shaking his head grabbing his beer as he walks towards his boyfriend on the other side of the room. 

"Happy birthday Melissa, sorry I'm late." A familiar voice shouts walking through the door. That voice. 

Derek halts where he was walking, he knows that voice, he hasn't heard that voice in a long time. He turns his head towards the entrance of the bar, praying it's not who he thinks. He spots the man shutting the door behind himself and Derek freezes.

"Chris Argent." Derek says softly dropping his bottle of beer in shock, anger and panic. The last time he saw Chris was when him and his family drove off their property leaving his family to burn to death after they set his house on fire. 

The glass bottle shatters on the ground by his feet and everyone looks at him and the man by the door turns around at the noise. Chris' face full of confusion seeing the broken glass on the ground as his eyes fly up to Derek's face and his mouth opens in complete utter shock. 

"Derek Hale?" Chris asks freezing where he stood.

"You were dead." Chris states taking a step back from Derek in shock, not knowing what to do or how the man would react. 

"What?!" Stiles voice shouts from the background but right now all Derek could focus on was the man in front of him. 

"What are you doing here?" Derek questions his hands forming into fists by his side. "Where's Kate? You guys back to finish the job?!"

"Derek, calm down." Chris says raising his hands slowly. "I'm here because I live here, with my daughter Allison. I'm not here to hurt you." 

"Bullshit! Where's Kate?!" Derek shouts taking a few steps closer to Chris. Everyone else in the room has long forgotten their drinks and cake, too caught up watching the two of them. 

"She's not here, I haven't spoken to her since the night of the fire." Chris responds but Derek shakes his head walking closer to him.

"No you're lying. Where is she?!" Derek yells grabbing the collar of Chris' jacket forcefully. 

"She isn't here!" Chris states sternly in a calm voice as Derek pushes him against the wall. 

"Then what's your plan? Kate killed Laura and now what? You're gonna kill me? Hu? Like the rest of my family!" Derek shouts as he punches Chris on the side of his face, slamming his back into the wall. 

"Derek!" Someone's voice shouts in the background but everything was buzzing in his mind he couldn't workout who said it. Chris Argent is here, which means Kate isn't too far away. They burnt his family alive, murdered his sister, he will be damned if he lets that happen to anyone else. "Derek stop!" A different voice yells but he doesn't respond as he punches Chris again.

"Hurt me all you want Derek but you're the one who's already been hurt. So go ahead, hit me if it makes you feel better but I didn't kill your family. Kate and Gerard did. They locked your parents and siblings in the basement and set the house on fire around them, not me." Chris says sternly causing Derek to let go of his shirt taking a stumbling step backwards grabbing hold of the table next to him to keep him up right. They locked his family in the basement... they trapped them before starting the fire...

"Derek what the hell?!" Stiles shouts from behind him somewhere as nearly everyone rushes over to Chris' side. 

"Mr Argent are you alright?" The Sheriff’s voice asks walking towards the other man as Derek takes more steps back away from Chris in panic trying to take in the information.

"I'm fine." Chris replies to the Sheriff as he shakes Allison off glancing back up to Derek. "Derek I'm telling the truth, I left the family business after the fire. They aren't here." Chris yells in a calm tone but Derek was anything but calm as he trips over one of the chairs falling to the ground. 

"Y-your lying, like Argents always do!" Derek shouts trying to calm his breathing as he forces himself back onto his feet. He glances over at everyone else, all crowded around Chris with shocked and confused faces and then his eyes land on Stiles. The boy was standing next to Allison with a angry and disappointed look on his face but Derek didn't expect any less, no one ever believes him when it comes to the Argents. 

"Derek? Son calm down." The Sheriff says looking away from Chris and now at him as he takes more steps backwards until his back hits the bar. 

"I- I need go. I have to go." Derek mutters ignoring Stiles and the Sheriff calling his name as he rushes out the back door and runs towards the farm ute. 

The Argents are here, they have been here the whole time. He has to leave, he has to go right now, he isn't scared to die, he has nothing to live for anymore. But he won't let Stiles and his friends and family come down with him, he can't drag Stiles into this mess, which is why he needs to get the hell out of here right now before it's too late. 

He slams his foot down as he puts the ute into gear and speeds off heading back to the farm. He needs to grab his clothes and photographs and get out of here. His grip tightens on the steering wheel as he focuses on the road ahead of him. 

-

"What the hell just happened?" Allison questions as Chris walks over to the bar pouring himself a drink. 

"I'm with Allison. Mr Argent, I need you to tell me why Derek did that. I couldn't quite hear what you were talking about but he sounded angry. Derek is a good kid, so tell me why did he react that way seeing you?" The Sheriff asks leaning against the bar next to Chris. 

"Yeah, I would like to know too!" Stiles says walking over to them followed by the farm hands and Erica and Lydia. 

Chris sighs taking a sip of his drink before turning to the Sheriff and glancing at Allison and Stiles. 

"I thought Derek was dead, I didn't know he was alive." Chris says shaking his head and Stiles just stares at him, why would he think Derek's dead? 

"Why did you think he was dead? You two clearly know each other." Stiles says and his dad glances him with a look Stiles knows means 'shut up'

"Chris, you need to tell me what's going on because right now Derek is... I don't even know what Derek is thinking right now but I know that look in his eye. So tell me right now what is going on." The Sheriff says sternly and Chris sighs looking around at Stiles' friends standing a few meters away behind him.

"You guys need to leave, this doesn't concern you." Chris says and the Sheriff sighs with a nod.

"Guys give us a minute alright, go over and help Melissa and the others clean up the broken glass." The Sheriff says but Stiles shakes his head.

"He's my boyfriend, I am not going anywhere." Stiles states recieving a shocked look from Chris before he nods in agreement. 

"I'm not going either, dad what the hell just happened?" Allison questions but Chris shakes his head.

"Allison go. I promise I will tell you everything later alright, I will tell you the truth to everything just let me talk to the Sheriff." Chris says and Allison stares at him for a few seconds before nodding taking Scott's hand and walking to the other side of the room and the others follow. 

"John, you cannot go to the station with this alright? You cannot tell anyone, neither of you can tell anyone." Chris states as Stiles takes a seat next to his dad.

"Whatever Argent, we promise alright, no repeating this to anyone." Stiles says turning to his dad who nods looking back at Chris who takes another drink. 

"How much do you guys know about Derek's past?" Chris asks. Derek's past? How does he even know about Derek's past, the only people Derek has ever talked to about his past is him and his father. 

"We know enough, what does his past have to do with anything?" The Sheriff asks leaning closer to Chris.

"It is to do with everything! You know about the fire? That killed all his family?" 

"You mean most his family, but him and Laura?" Stiles questions and Chris' eyes go wide.

"Laura's alive as well?! I thought they both died in the fire." Chris states eyes going wide with shock. 

"Was." Stiles corrects and the other man gives him a confused look. "Was. Laura was alive until the people who burnt down their house hunted them down and shot Laura right in front of Derek!" Stiles says angrily and his dad puts his hand on his knee and Stiles takes a deep breath. 

"Of course they did." Chris mutters shaking his head. 

"What does any of this have to do with you?" The Sheriff asks.

"It was my family! My family burnt the Hale house down. It's a long story." Chris says putting his head in his hands. 

"Well you better start telling it, right now." The Sheriff responds as Stiles stares at him in complete shock. It was the Argents who killed Derek's family? 

"Do you know what Argent means in French? It stands for silver. Before I created my own truck transporting business I use to work for my fathers, but he used the livestock in the trucks to smuggle silver and sometimes gold across the boarder for money. I knew they were doing it and my father knew how much I was against it. I refused to drive any trucks that were being used for hiding silver but my sister... she was all for it and when she got old enough she took over the family business and ran it with my father." Chris explains shaking his head.

"Why didn't you go to the police when you found out this was happening?" The sheriff asks but Chris shakes his head.

"You don't get it, my family has people on the inside, you would never be able to put them in jail." Chris says glancing at Stiles.

"That's exactly what Derek said to me, that the people who killed his family that they have people on the inside which is why him and Laura never went to the police... but I didn't know that was you." Stiles says unable to take his eyes off Chris. It was Chris, the man Stiles and his friends grew up around, the man who carts their livestock for them, it was him who killed Derek's family. 

"Why did your family want the Hales dead?" His dad questions as if reading his mind. 

"The Hales use to be one of our biggest clients, we use to cart cattle for them all the time. Derek and I grew up together basically, I knew him since he was a baby and every time I would come over to pick up or drop off livestock for them Derek and I would always muck around on his farm. My sister liked him a lot so when she took over the business she was the one who always went to his farm and I've never seen Derek since." Chris explains taking another sip of his drink.

"You never went to visit him or anything?" Stiles asks and Chris shakes his head. 

"Allison came along and my priorities was to keep her away from Gerard and my sister. I didn't want them trying to bring her into the family business of smuggling silver and gold. I focused on keeping her as far away from them as possible. I wanted to leave the business because I knew what they were doing was so wrong but I needed the money, but I never smuggled silver I just did normal cattle runs for farmers." 

"Wait wait that still doesn't explain why you guys killed Derek's family." Stiles states as he fiddles with the bar mat, not able to sit still.

"Talia Hale, Derek's mother, she somehow discovered what Gerard and my sister were doing and had evidence. Apparently some sort of video and a couple photos, so she went to the police. She told them what they were doing and gave them the evidence. But of course the police didn't do anything about it, they just told Gerard and my sister about it to warn them that the Hales are onto them and had evidence." 

"So they burned their house down to get rid of the threat and any evidence Talia made copies of." The Sheriff finishes and Chris nods. 

"They made me come with them, made me sit in the car while they got into the Hales house with their spare key which Kate somehow knew where it was-"

"Wait what? Did you just say Kate? Your sister is Kate? The Kate?!" Stiles questions and suddenly everything clicks into place. Derek's ex didn't just use him sexually, she used him to kill his family too. She made him believe she loved him and made Derek trust her, that's how she knew where the spare key was, holy shit!


	18. Chapter 18

"Yes, my sisters name is Kate. Anyway she somehow knew where the spare key was and they went inside the house with guns. I didn't hear any gun shots though. They just locked the Hales in the basement and the next thing I knew the house was up in flames. Kate and Gerard ran back to the car where I was and we drove off, taking the dirt road out of the property. I thought Derek was in the house when it burnt down, I had no idea he was alive or Laura for that matter. I swear I didn't know." Chris says shaking his head. "I left the business that night, I told Kate and Gerard I don't want anything to do with them or the business again. That's when I moved here with Allison six years ago and we started our own business together, I haven't seen or heard from Gerard or Kate since." 

"They just let you walk away?" The Sheriff asks skeptically and Chris nods.

"As long as I didn't tell anyone about what they do and what they did, they don't care what I do. I am not apart of anything they do, I never was. I stayed out of it and just drove trucks for farmers." Chris explains and the Sheriff nods. 

"So Derek acted that way our anger? Because he thinks you killed his family?" The Sheriff asks and Chris shakes his head. 

"No. It wasn't anger it was different." Chris says frowning trying to put the pieces together reaching for drink as Stiles quickly grabs his arm.

"Different how? Chris, what are you talking about?!" Stiles questions the worry evident in his tone as he grips the mans arm waiting for an answer.

"Stiles!" His dad shouts and he quickly lets go of the older mans arm knowing it won't help him get an answer.

"He wasn't angry, well he was at first but then he kept asking me where Kate was. He thought I was here to kill him, that Kate was here somewhere to finish the job. I tried telling him I didn't kill his family and that Kate isn't here but he wouldn't believe me." Chris explains and Stiles face turns into panic. If Derek thinks Kate is here to finish the job then he didn't drive off because he was angry at Chris. He drove off to get away from Chris, to get away from Beacon Hills because he thinks Kate is here.

"Stiles, what is it?" The Sheriff asks noticing the way Stiles' skin turns pale as his hands begin to tremble . 

"Derek's running!" Stiles suddenly says in panic.

"What? What do you mean Derek's running?" His father asks putting his hand on his sons shoulder to try calm him down.

"He's running, to get away from Kate because he thinks she's here, he's leaving dad! Don't you get it? He's going to run like he did with Laura after the fire because he thinks Kate is here with Chris to finish the job. Dad we can't let him leave, Kate will find him if he goes on his own!" Stiles shouts. "I need to go find him!"

"Shit." His father mutters pinching the bridge of his nose. "You can't Stiles, you've been drinking." 

"My last drink was hours ago, dad I'm fine. I need to get to Derek before he disappears." Stiles shouts and his dad gives him a stern look before nodding. "Alright go! I will deal with everyone's questions here because I doubt Derek or Chris would want everyone knowing their past, drive carefully Stiles! And call me if you can't find him." The Sheriff says and Stiles nods as he runs towards Scott.

"Scott I need your keys!" Stiles suddenly says causing his friend to jump in surprise.

"What? Why?" Scott asks and Stiles shakes his head. 

"Stiles what's going on?" Allison questions. 

"I don't have to explain, please Scott I need your keys." Stiles replies in a desperate voice and Scott nods handing him the keys. 

"Whatever you're up to Batman, be careful." Erica calls out as Stiles races out the bar heading straight towards Scott's ute. 

-

"I knew I shouldn't have stayed here, it was too good to be true." Derek mutters to himself as he hits the breaks parking in front of shed. 

He jogs over to the motorbike in the shed starting her up and riding towards the hut. Since nobody else rides the motorbike he figures it would be a better idea to take instead of the farm ute. 

He parks in front of the hut jumping off the motorbike in a hurry. He needs to get of here, get as far away from Beacon Hills as possible. He can't drag Stiles and his family into this mess, if Kate finds out he's with Stiles she will kill him too. 

He grabs all his clothes, which lucky for him consists of basically a few pairs of jeans and flannel and he stuffs them in a plastic bag. He opens the draw to his bed side table grabbing the photographs of Laura and his old house. He stares at the photos for a few minutes trying to calm himself down before grabbing his bag and walking out the door. 

He sits the bag on the back of the bike realising he needs rope to tie it down. Shaking his head he jogs over to the old shed to find old rope that the Sheriff won't mind if he takes. After what feels like hours but probably only been a minute or two he finds some old baling twine and figures that will do. 

He jogs back towards the hut and begins trying to strap the bag to the bike with the twine when he hears the sound a vehicle approaching. He quickly turns around and sighs realising it was Scott's ute, but then stares at it in confusion, why is Scott here? Derek thinks but shakes his head. Whatever the kid had to say to him he doesn't care, he needs to get out of here right now. He doesn't care if he has live on the run again, he doesn't care if Kate eventually finds him, it's bound to happen. And when it does happen he won't let Stiles or anyone he cares about be hurt by her too, he has to leave before Stiles gets dragged into this mess.

"Derek." Stiles voice shouts and Derek turns around to find the boy climbing out Scott's ute. He closes his eyes taking a deep breath before continuing strapping down the bag on the back of the motorbike. "Derek stop! Kate isn't here, she isn't going to kill you or anyone. Kate isn't here, it's just Chris." Stiles says walking towards him but Derek shakes his head, if Kate really isn't here it doesn't matter because Chris still is.

"Is that suppose to be more comforting? Chris Argent is here! He's been here the whole damn time, I'm such an idiot." 

"Chris didn't kill your family Derek, he's a good man." Stiles says taking another step towards him and Derek turns around to look at Stiles unable to stop himself as he laughs.

"So you're taking his side? I was crazy to ever believe you actually ever loved me." Derek says clenching his jaw turning away from Stiles leaning against the bike. 

"No, you're crazy to think I ever stopped." Stiles replies sternly and Derek could feel him staring. "Just listen to me Derek please, Chris explained everything. He refused to be part of his family's business, all he did was cart livestock for farmers and that's it. He didn't want to be apart of what they were doing. He had Allison to think about and protect and he didn't want her getting caught up in his family's crap. Gerard and Kate made Chris go to your house that night, he had no idea what they were doing until it was too late. It wasn't Chris who killed your family Derek, please believe me it wasn't him. After that night he left his family and took Allison and moved to Beacon Hills where he started up his own truck company." Stiles explains barely having any breaths between sentences. "Please you don't have to leave Derek, you're safe here." 

"But your not safe here if I'm here. Don't you get it Stiles? If Chris lives here it's only a matter of time before Kate or Gerard show up and then what? They will kill me Stiles and anyone I care about and that's you! I can't drag you into this mess, I have to leave before that happens. Kate will find me, she won't stop until she does and when she does I won't let her hurt you, I can't let her hurt you. I'm trying to do what is best for you."

"Well you don't get to choose what's best for me Derek. You leaving will only hurt me. I lost my mother and I couldn't do anything about it, so I will be damned if I lose you too. You leaving is not what's best for me because you are what's best for me!" Stiles yells, his voice breaking at the end as he tries to hold back tears.

"Stiles I-I can't stay here. I can't put you in danger. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you and if I stay here Kate will find me and kill you too! I won't let that happen." Derek responds turning to meet Stiles' teary eyes. 

"You are safe here Derek alright, please don't go. Chris doesn't talk to Kate or Gerard alright? He's on your side, he never was on their side. Please Derek don't do this, don't go." Stiles begs and Derek looks away unable to see the tears roll down Stiles' cheeks any longer.

"Stiles... I don't have a choice, I can't let Kate hurt you when she finds me."

"If she finds you! Please don't go, I need you, my dad and the farmhands need you Derek. They all classify you as family and family don't leave each other. Kate will never look for you here and if she does my dad will tell her he's never seen or heard of you before. You don't have to be scared Derek, she won't find you here. She won't kill you, we will both be safe here." Stiles says taking a step closer and Derek closes his eyes feeling a tear roll down his cheek.

"Hey, its okay Derek. There's nothing to be scared about, we will be fine here." Stiles says softly.

"I'm not scared anymore, at the beginning I was scared but being on the run for all those years I have just gotten use to it. I don't even think I know what it feels like to be a normal person anymore." Derek admits shaking his head. 

“I will show you what it’s like to be a normal person, to have a normal life with people around you who care about you like the farmhands and Lydia and-” Stiles begins saying until Derek cuts him off. 

“And Chris Argent?” 

“He didn’t kill your family Derek. It wasn’t Chris, it was Kate and Gerard, he had nothing to do with it.” Stiles says feeling as though he is just repeating himself.

“I know that but I can hardly look at Chris! Because when I do all I see is everyone I have lost! I fell for an Argents lies and you know what that got me? It got everyone I cared about dead! You weren’t there when my family home perished to the ground with them inside it, you weren’t there when Laura died three feet in front of me and you’ll never understand! Now you might be able to forget about all that, but I can’t!” Derek suddenly snaps running his shaky hands over his face instantly regretting talking to Stiles like that.

"I know I’m sorry, just please don't go Derek, please don't go." Stiles begs in a soft voice and Derek looks over at him unable to hold himself back any longer. He walks over to Stiles and wraps him up in a tight hug as Stiles breaks down, not hiding his tears anymore. 

"Shhh. I'm not gonna leave, it's okay Stiles." Derek whispers softly and Stiles lifts his head slightly making sure he heard the man correctly.

"You're not?" Stiles asks and Derek smiles knowing he can't leave Stiles, not after everything they have been through.

"I'm not going." Derek repeats softly and Stiles sighs with relief as Derek closes his eyes, it's going to be okay, everything will workout, Derek tells himself. 

The sound of the familiar Sheriff's cruiser fills the air as it approaches up the driveway approaching. Stiles doesn't let go as the car pulls up next to them and Derek doesn't make him as he opens his eyes and spots the Sheriff climbing out.

The Sheriff watches the two of them for a few seconds with a soft smile before his eyes glance to Derek's motorbike with his bag strapped to it. His eyes quickly fly back to Derek's in panic. Derek shakes his head softly as Stiles let's go of him turning to his dad. 

"Don't go Derek." The Sheriff suddenly says with a hint of emotion in his voice. 

"I'm not running, not anymore." Derek answers and Stiles smiles looking up at Derek and then to his father.

"Thank God." The Sheriff sighs walking over to the boys embracing them both in a tight hug.

-

*the next day*

"Don't worry Derek, Chris told Allison everything and she told us the short version of it. Just don't leave alright? We need you man." Scott says patting Derek's shoulder who was sitting under the veranda of the cottage. 

"Thanks. I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon." Derek answers and the farmhands nod with a smile as they all sit down under the veranda. 

They sit there for an hour or so, watching the sunrise over the horizon as the dark clouds slowly roll in from the West. 

"The rain is finally coming." The Sheriff's voice says and Derek turns around to find him and Stiles walking towards them. He wasn't in his Sheriff's uniform which means he has the day off, which is good because he hasn't had many lately.

"You said a few months ago the rainfall this winter is going to be off the charts. Do we really want the rain if it's going to be that wet?" Boyd asks looking over at the Sheriff as he takes a seat next to Scott while Stiles sits next to Derek. 

"That's true, remember a few years ago it rained a lot and we could barely walk down the driveway it was that muddy and boggy. We couldn't leave the property for a week because the cars kept getting bogged in the driveway." Parrish says and Stiles laughs remembering it. 

"That's why last month we got new gravel on the driveways so our vehicles shouldn't get bogged." The Sheriff answers taking a drink of his coffee. 

"How long until this storm hit us?" Stiles asks looking over at his dad.

"Tea time tonight roughly, I'd say. So make sure everything is under shelter and in sheds, because although this will only be the first lot of rain, I can guarantee there will be a lot more to come over the next few months." The Sheriff answers as Parrish turns the barbecue on getting ready to cook breakfast. 

They all eat breakfast together before heading off on their own beginning the days work. Boyd goes out in the tractor with the sprayer connected to it. Parrish takes the old tractor and the slasher and begins going around the property cutting the tall grass to get ready for the rain. Scott and Stiles both go into Beacon Hills with Scott's ute to pick up bags of cattle and horse feed. They also grab extra food in case they do happen to be stuck on the farm for a week like last time. 

Derek in the mean time chops the wood him and Stiles cut the other day. He uses the axe to cut them into good sizes for the fire places inside the farm house and cottage. 

As the hours go on he cuts piles of wood before loading it all into the tipper trailer he hooked up the farm ute, before moving onto the next tree he cut down earlier. The weather was significantly cooler now. Scott and Boyd were even wearing jackets in the morning but from swinging the axe for the past few hours Derek was anything but cool. 

After his second trailer load of wood he gave up wearing his long sleeve flannel and by the third trailer load he gave up with his white tank top that just stuck to his skin from sweat. Which is exactly how Stiles finds him in the late afternoon, swinging the axe in nothing but his jeans and boots.

"You know you are probably violating every occupational health and safety rule there is for cutting wood." Stiles comments walking over to him.

"Well good thing we live in the middle of no where." Derek responds throwing the axe down into a piece of wood so it sits there as he walks over to Stiles. 

"Need any help? Because by the looks of things you are gonna get rained on very soon." Stiles says walking towards Derek who shakes his head. 

"Nah the rain is ages away, I just got a couple more to cut. Then gotta load them into the trailer to dump into the wood shed out the back of the farm house." Derek responds and Stiles nods as he starts to grab the pieces of wood that Derek has already cut and throws them into the trailer. 

"As much as I'd love to just stand and watch you work, you need help if you wanna finish this before the storm rolls in." Stiles says ignoring the way Derek rolls his eyes before pulling the axe out of the wood.

"You know... I haven't actually taken you out on a date yet." Derek comments changing the topic as he swings the axe. Stiles freezes, trying to hide his smile not expecting Derek to say that. Yeah he might have thought about that a couple of times during the past few months but he never expected Derek to take him out on a real date. The closest thing he could call a date is whenever him and Derek have the farm house to themselves. They cook tea together and then play PlayStation or watch a movie but other than that, that's it. 

"I haven't expected you to, it's been pretty hectic the past few months." Stiles responds walking back towards the pile of wood. 

"Your dad has night shift tonight doesn't he?" Derek asks and Stiles turns to him with a confused nod.

"Why do you ask?" Stiles questions after Derek doesn't make any move to explain further.

"You'll see." Derek replies with a grin and Stiles stares at him for a few seconds before deciding against asking questions.

-

They were both now throwing wood into the trailer when the first rain drop lands on Stiles' nose.

"Dude, it's starting to rain." Stiles shouts turning to Derek as he climbs out the ute after reversing it up to the new pile of wood. 

"You're imagining it Stiles." Derek calls back walking towards him when he suddenly feels a rain drop on his bare shoulders. He glances at Stiles who has a shit eating grin on his face knowing he's right when the rain started spitting more heavier. "Shit." Derek mutters under his breath and Stiles just loses it laughing. 

"Stop laughing and help me load the wood into the trailer." Derek shouts as he quickly grabs wood after wood, throwing them into the trailer and Stiles does the same holding back his laughter. 

Within minutes they loaded all the wood and they both quickly climb into the ute as the rain gets heavier. 

"You know I'd hate to be 'that' person but... I told you so." Stiles says with a grin as he shakes his wet hair.

"Shut up." Derek replies with a smile as they drive towards the wood shed. "Just for that comment you can be the one to click the button on the trailer to make it lift up while I stay dry inside the ute." 

"Meanie." Stiles mumbles leaning against Dereks shoulder as Derek changes gears and kisses Stiles on the forehead. 

"Get use to it." Derek says with a laugh and Stiles shakes his head as Derek reveres the trailer up to the wood shed. "Have fun getting wet." Derek says and Stiles groans in annoyance giving him an dumb look before opening the passenger door and climbing out.

Within seconds he was drenched head to toe in the heavy rain as he walks towards the trailer behind the ute. He opens the small lid which covers the button for the tipper trailer and stares at it for a few seconds before he gets a genius idea.

"Derek, the button isn't working!" Stiles shouts looking through the back window of the ute as he spots Derek turn around in his seat to look at him.

"Did you click the green button?" Derek yells back and Stiles nods.

"Nothing happens." Stiles shouts as he watches Derek shake his head before he hears the sound of his car door opening. 

"It worked fine when I used it earlier today." Derek says walking towards Stiles who may or may not be having trouble trying to look away from his boyfriends now dripping wet shirtless body. 

He takes a few steps backwards as Derek walks towards the button and presses it. In an instant the trailer lifts up and the wood slowly rolls out of it onto the pile. 

Derek turns around slowly raising his eyebrows as Stiles starts to laugh still taking small steps backwards.

"Ha ha now you're drenched from the rain too!" Stiles teases and Derek rolls his eyes unable to hold back a laugh, he'll give the Stiles credit for that because he definitely didn't see it coming.

"Come here." Derek says and Stiles quickly shakes his head with a grin knowing Derek will somehow make him pay for what he just did. 

"I ain't stupid." Stiles replies taking another step and Derek smirks at him before he runs towards the younger boy. 

Stiles makes a surprised yelp before turning on his heels and running in the opposite direction. There was only a matter of seconds before he knew Derek would catch him so he wanted to make it as tricky as he could. He dodges behind a tree and double backs behind Derek to try trick him but clearly Derek isn't that stupid.

He grabs Stiles' arm and tackles him onto the wet grass. They both tumble down the small hill in fits of laughter before landing in a pile of mud. 

"Oh my God, we're covered in mud." Stiles comments lying next to Derek glancing at his now mud covered abs.

"You hand it coming." Derek chuckles and Stiles rolls his eyes before grabbing a hand full of mud and rubbing it in Derek's wet hair.

"Stiles!" Derek shouts in response pushing his boyfriend down into the mud again. He sits himself up so he could pin Stiles to the ground lying on his back. 

"Alright. Alright. I surrender." Stiles says quickly holding his hands up in a truce. Derek shakes his head as he unbuttons Stiles' flannel and pulls it off, leaving him in his black tank top which very quickly turns brown from the mud. 

"I hate you." Stiles mutters trying to wipe the mud off his tank top which only makes it worse.

"No, you love me." Derek teases and Stiles nods with a laugh as he leans forward and kisses Derek when suddenly mud gets rubbed into the back of his head. 

"Nope, I definitely hate you." Stiles responds wiping the mud out his hair as Derek laughs shaking his head before standing up. 

"At least the rain is washing off the mud." Derek says holding his arms out looking up at the dark clouds as the rain pours down on them. The clouds aren't too big so he doesn't think the rain will last much longer.

"Hey! You two! You'll catch a cold if you stay out in the rain!" Scott's voice calls and they both turn around to find him in his ute with the window down looking at them. 

"Hey Scotty." Stiles calls back before turning to Derek. "We should probably get cleaned up and get ready for tea." 

"You go ahead with Scott and come over to the hut in an hour." Derek instructs giving Stiles a kiss before walking towards the farm ute. "Don't be late." Derek calls over his shoulder as Stiles stares at him as he drives off not sure what to say.

"Hey man, you coming?" Scott calls bringing Stiles back to the real world who nods jogging over to Scott's ute and climbing in. "What just happened between you and Derek?" 

"I... I think we're having a date tonight." Stiles says in shock and Scott smiles brightly. 

"I was wondering how long it would take you two to go on your first date." Scott responds with a huge smile. 

"Why are you so happy about this?" Stiles asks running his fingers through his wet and muddy hair.

"Because I just won 50 bucks! I bet the guys that it would take at least a few months before you and Derek went on a date. Parrish said four days and Boyd said three weeks." Scott says with a shy grin.

"You guys placed bets on how long it would take Derek and I to go on a date?" Stiles questions and Scott nods. "You're all idiots." Stiles mutters with a laugh and Scott shrugs his shoulders as they drive towards the farm house and cottage.


	19. Chapter 19

  
"Wait. Wait. Did you just say you're going on a date with Derek tonight?" Parrish questions as Stiles and Scott walk into the cottage after he had a shower and put clean clothes on.

"Yeah, he told me to go to the hut in an hour." Stiles responds and Boyd turns away from the tv to face them with a confused expression.

"Does that mean Derek's cooking you tea?" He questions and Stiles nods taking a seat on the other couch next to Parrish.

"He's actually a really good cook and has some amazing recipes, but he doesn't do it often." Stiles explains as he steals the tv remote off Scott who kicks him in response.

"Why doesn't he do it often?" Parrish asks staring at the tv screen while Stiles channel surfs looking for something decent to watch.

"It reminds him too much of his mother. Brings up memories of her which he'd rather not think about." Stiles answers honestly and the guys nod in response.

"The stuff Allison told us about Derek and what happened his family... I can't even imagine what it must be like." Boyd says shaking his head.

"The dude has definitely been through hell and back. I remember when he first came here... I will be the first to admit I wasn't a fan of him but you were all head over boots for him within seconds." Scott says and Stiles scoffs.

"I was not!" Stiles defends but Scott just shakes his head.

"Let me finish. Anyway, after getting to know him, he's turned out to be one of the nicest and one of the most hard workers here." Scott says and Stiles couldn't help but smile turning to his best friend.

"I can't agree more with that. He's saved my life more than once while working together and he's opened up a lot more since when he first came here." Parrish adds and they all nod.

"We're all happy for you Stiles and glad you two have each other. You make each other happy and you both deserve it." Scott finishes looking from Parrish back to Stiles.

"I appreciate that guys thank you and Scotty, just because you are being nice doesn't mean you're getting the tv remote back." Stiles replies with a grin and Scott rolls his eyes with a laugh turning back to the tv.

-

Derek just finishes putting the containers of pasta into the picnic basket that he borrowed from the Sheriff, when he hears Stiles knock on the front door. He places the basket on the kitchen table before opening the front door to find Stiles in a nice flannel and jeans with his hair now washed and not covered in mud.

"You cleaned up nicely." Derek comments with a smile and Stiles rolls his eyes as he pulls Derek in for a hug.

"At least that makes one of us." Stiles replies with a laugh before shaking his head. "Relax I'm just messing with you Der, you look as stunning as always."

"Now you're just trying to get on my good side." Derek responds nudging Stiles playfully who couldn't get rid of his smile that stretches across his face.

"How much do you trust me?" Derek asks with a grin and Stiles sighs staring at him.

"I feel like this isn't going to end well, but I trust you with my life Derek, you know that." Stiles replies grabbing his hand and Derek nods.

"So if I told you to close your eyes and keep them closed, you would?" Derek asks and Stiles gives him a sceptical look but nods anyway. "Alright good, because I have a surprise for you but you have to have your eyes closed until we get there."

"Until we get there? Where are we going?" Stiles asks curiously leaning against the door frame and Derek gives him a dump look and he nods. "Right, then it wouldn't be a surprise would it?"

"Close your eyes and I will lead you to the ute." Derek instructs and Stiles nods closing his eyes as Derek grabs the basket off the table and puts his hand on Stiles shoulder to walk him towards the ute.

"Put your seatbelt on but don't open your eyes." Derek says as he climbs into the drivers seat. Stiles laughs shaking his head as he fiddles with the seat belt and Derek lets out a small laugh before helping him. Unable to watch Stiles struggle miserably with the seat belt, even though he looks really cute doing it.

"You know my worst fear is blindness?" Stiles comments as Derek puts the ute into gear and drives towards the forest.

"Becoming blind?" Derek asks turning to Stiles who still has his eyes closed.

"Yeah. Terrified of that. I always have been." Stiles admits with a shy smile and Derek shakes his head suddenly feeling bad for making him keep his eyes closed.

"You can open your eyes if you want, I didn't know Stiles. I'm sorry." Derek says placing his hand on Stiles' thigh as he continues driving.

"I trust you Derek and plus I like surprises." Stiles replies and Derek laughs shaking his head as he continues driving.

*10 minutes later*

"Where are we? I tried mapping your turns in my head but I'm confused because if I'm correct we're in the middle of the forest." Stiles comments as Derek parks the car, reversing slightly until he's happy with the position.

"Well you're half right, we're at the back of the forest over the hill." Derek replies as he stares out over the horizon taking in the view from being high up on the mountain. "No peaking alright? Give me a few seconds and then I will lead you somewhere."

"Dude, this suspense is killing me, hurry up." Stiles whines and Derek laughs as he climbs out the ute grabbing the basket out the back seat and walking around to the tray of the ute.

He places the basket on the ground for the time being before pulling the tail gate down on the ute and fixes the various blankets and pillows which cover the tray of the ute. He grabs the basket and places it in the middle of the ute taking out the containers of warm pasta and grabbing two bottles of beer. He places them in front of the two bigger pillows which were leaning on the back window of the ute so they could lean on them.

Climbing off the back of the tailgate he walks around to Stiles' door and leans over undoing his seat belt.

"Keep your eyes closed for a few more seconds and come with me." Derek says helping Stiles out and leading him towards the back of the ute.

"Alright, open your eyes." Derek says taking a step back as he watches Stiles eyes open, blinking a few times. The low sun in the sky too bright for him when suddenly his eyes go wide with shock after having adjusted.

"Derek..." Stiles gasps looking at the back of the ute covered in comfy blankets and pillows with food and drinks. "This is amazing." Stiles says after a few seconds with the biggest smile. Derek puts his hand on his shoulder turning Stiles around so he could see the view from the mountain top.

"I found this place the other week when I was trying to find that lost cow. I thought it would be the perfect place for our first date, I'm just glad it stopped raining when it did." Derek says with a smile.

"I'm speechless." Stiles states looking back and forth between the back of the ute and the view.

"Well considering you are never speechless, I will take that as a compliment." Derek says with a nervous grin and Stiles nods. "Climb onto the ute. Let's eat before it goes cold." Derek says climbing onto the back of the ute holding his hand out.

Stiles takes his hand unable to hide the smile on his face as he lets Derek pull him up onto the ute giving him a soft kiss as they both crash onto the pillows in laughter.

"This pasta smells heaps good!" Stiles shouts as he opens his container and Derek shakes his head as he begins to eat his own.

"Oh my God, this is amazing! What is it?" Stiles asks with a mouth full of food and Derek couldn't help but laugh.

"It was my mother's Pasta Con Pomodoro E Basilico recipe." Derek replies taking a sip of his beer as he stares out over the horizon watching the sun beginning to set.

"Right. Now can you say that again in English?" Stiles asks causing Derek to chuckle with a smile remembering when his mother told him what this pasta dish was called and how long it took him and Laura to pronounce it correctly. Derek shakes his head focusing back on Stiles before continuing.

"Its my mother's old recipe, but it's missing something though because it tasted slightly different when she cooked it but I can't remember what." Derek responds with a shrug as he takes another fork full of pasta.

"Well I liked it, a lot. So thank you for cooking it Der, seriously thank you. It means a lot you went through all this trouble for me. I know you're not a fan of cooking especially one of your mother's old recipes." Stiles says placing his free hand on Derek's on shoulder.

"I know I should do it more. I should talk about her more. I should talk about them all more because if I'm not keeping their memories alive and thinking about them then who is?" Derek says looking back towards the sunset taking a deep breath. "They didn't deserve that. They were amazing people and I want you to know that, I want everyone to know that."

"I think they would want that too." Stiles replies with a warm smile looking at Derek who was still staring at the horizon. "They would be proud of you Derek, I hope you know that." Stiles says and Derek looks over at him with a sad smile before pulling Stiles close into a hug.

They stay like that, with Stiles head resting on Derek's chest with both their arms wrapped around each other. Until the sun was completely gone and the stars began to appear in the sky.

"How'd you know it would stop raining tonight?" Stiles asks breaking the silence but not letting go of Derek.

"I didn't." Derek responds as he runs his fingers through Stiles' hair slowly.

"What would've you done if it was still raining then?" Stiles questions curiously and Derek shrugs his shoulders slightly.

"I would have had to think of something else real quick." Derek says causing Stiles to laugh as they both lean back on the pillows as Derek pulls a blanket over both of them while admiring the stars.

"Can we play a game? Well it's not really a game but like we ask each other questions to get to know each other better. We both know a lot about each other but I don't know the little things for example your favourite colour." Stiles suddenly says still watching the stars.

"Only if whatever question you ask, you have to answer as well." Derek replies taking a sip of his beer before putting it down and placing his arm around Stiles' shoulders again.

"Deal!" Stiles quickly says enthusiastically. "So what is your favourite colour?"

"Blue." Derek answers and Stiles nods.

"I would have picked you more as a red colour guy. Mine is green by the way, your turn to ask a question." Stiles says and Derek rolls his eyes at how excited Stiles is as he thinks of a question.

 

After 20 minutes they were still asking questions, both having a good time learning about the little things each other likes. Such as favourite food, dream house, favourite movie / tv show and the list goes on.

"What's your favourite animal?" Derek questions resting his head on top of Stiles' as they both lye on top of the pillows and blankets watching the stars.

"Definitely dogs. I've always wanted a dog that would follow me around the farm while I'm working and help with the cattle. But there's no place around Beacon Hills that sells dogs. We don't have the time to go driving across the country to find one, so we've never worried about buying one." Stiles explains and Derek nods in acknowledgment. "Hey, you have to answer too."

"My favourite animal's a wolf." Derek replies and raises his eyebrows after Stiles gives him an odd look. "Wolves are intelligent animals, they live and hunt in packs. If one of their pack members get hurt or sick they don't abandon it like foxes or coyotes would. They look after it, care for it and bring it food until it gets better."

"You really know a lot about wolves." Stiles comments and Derek nods.

"They were my mother's favourite animal as well. She would tell Laura and I countless of stories and legends about wolves every night." Derek replies with a smile as he remembers the memory.

"Can you tell me one?" Stiles asks tilting his head so he could see Derek better who was contemplating whether or not to tell one.

"Why is the moon so lonely?" Derek suddenly asks looking back towards the stars and the full moon.

"Why?"

"Because she use to have a lover, who's name was Kuekuatshue." Derek replies.

"Oh so this is a true story." Stiles says with a grin and Derek laughs softly before continuing.

"They lived in the spirit world together. And every night, they would wonder the skies together. But one of the other spirits was jealous. Trickster wanted the moon to himself, so he told Kuekuatshue that the moon had asked for flowers. He told him to come to our world and pick some wild roses. But Kuekuatshue didn't know that once you leave the spirit world you cannot come back... He became trapped here and every night, he looks up at the sky and sees the moon and howls her name. But - he can never touch her again."

"Wow that was sad and beautiful and definitely not what I was expecting, but what does that have to do with wolves?" Stiles asks curiously.

"Kuekuatshue means wolf." Derek replies.

"Ohhhh that makes sense now." Stiles says in realisation and Derek smiles watching his boyfriend as he kisses his forehead, looking back towards the night sky.

-

 

_"Mum!" Derek shouts desperately as he pushes Laura's hand off him before climbing out her old ute. "Dad! Cora!" He continues to shout, sprinting towards the burning house, the smell of smoke becoming stronger and stronger._

_"Derek!" Laura yells after him when suddenly the veranda of their house collapses in an explosion, sending Derek a few metres backwards in the air from the force as his body slams into the dirt.  
"Holy shit. Derek?!" Laura screams dropping down next to him as he sits himself up._

_"L-Laura, what's happening? Who would do this?" Derek questions with tears pouring down his face as Laura wipes the blood of the cut on his forehead._

_"We need to go." She replies in a broken voice lifting her younger brother onto his feet. "We need to get out of here." She repeats but Derek shakes his head frantically._

_"No!" He yells desperately turning to Laura who's eyes were red and watery._

_"Derek. We saw the Argents car drive off in the other direction, it was them! Remember the videos mum had of the Argents smuggling silver and gold on their trucks?" Laura asks grabbing his shoulder trying to get him to focus._

_"They wanted to get rid of the evidence didn't they?" Derek asks softly and Laura nods as another tear falls down her cheek._

_"The Argents have people on the inside, dad thought that was the reason nothing happened after mum showed the cops the video." Laura explains in a shaky voice. "So right now they think we are both dead as well. We need to keep it that way if we want to survive, so Derek please we need to go right now before the cops get here." Laura begs and Derek nods as he lets his sister help him up as they rush back to the ute._

_"This can't be happening." Laura cries as she slams the car into gear and they take off in the opposite direction._

_"They're dead. They're all dead." Derek mumbles leaning his head on the window as he stares at the side mirror watching the house burn to the ground. "Everyone's gone!" He sobs._

"Derek. It's just a dream. Wake up!" Stiles shouts shaking his boyfriends shoulders when his eyes suddenly fly open and he jumps out the bed.

"You're safe. It's me, Stiles. You're at the Stilinski farm in the hut." Stiles quickly answers watching as Derek stumbles backwards, his face pale covered in a layer of cold sweat.

"Stiles?" Derek whispers as he grabs hold of the bench with shaky hands turning away. Stiles quickly gets up standing next to Derek not sure whether or not to touch him for comfort. Derek takes a deep breath before wiping his damp eyes with the palm of his hands. He sits back down on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands.

"Wanna talk about it?" Stiles asks as he takes a seat next to Derek, watching him carefully knowing just how bad traumatising nightmares can be. He knows Derek won't want to talk about it, he never does but Stiles still asks every time, it's the only thing he can do. Nearly every single night the two of them spend together Derek either wakes him up screaming or Stiles wakes up in the middle of the night, to find Derek sitting on the edge of the bed unable to sleep from a nightmare.

"No." Derek says weakly lifting his head up so he could look at Stiles. He looked tired but had a worried expression. Derek glances at the digital click next to the bed noticing it's 2am and he sighs. "I'm fine, don't worry. Go back to sleep."

"Derek-" Stiles tries to say but he gets cut off.

"I'm fine Stiles. Please just go back to sleep." Derek says placing his hand on Stiles' shoulder gently pushing him back down into the bed.

"Only if you join me." Stiles replies with a soft smile and Derek nods. He climbs back under the sheets of his bed next to Stiles giving him a kiss before trying to go back to sleep.

-

Birds were singing sweetly outside as Derek sits on the steps under the veranda of the hut watching the sun rise slowly over the horizon.

"Couldn't sleep?" Stiles voice calls softly and Derek turns around to find Stiles opening the front door of the hut.

"You know the answer to that." Derek replies casually with a laugh but Stiles shakes his head leaning over to give him a kiss.

"I was just hoping for a miracle." Stiles answers causing Derek to smile as he sits down next to the older man. "You look tired, did you get any sleep after you woke up?" Stiles asks and Derek shakes his head looking back towards the sunrise.

"What are you thinking about?" Stiles asks nudging Derek playfully with a grin.

"Nothing just thinking about us. How much my life has changed within the past year. I honestly never thought I could be..." Derek begins to say but loses his words.

"Happy?" Stiles asks and Derek nods as he pulls Stiles closer to him.

"You make me happy." Derek states placing his arm around Stiles' shoulders holding him tightly.

They sit there for another hour in peaceful silence. Watching the sunrise and listening to the cattle in the background before they join the Sheriff and the farmhands for breakfast.

-

"So Stiles, what are you doing for your birthday this weekend?" Scott asks as he takes a bite of his eggs and bacon glancing over at his best friend across the table in the cottage.

"Wait, it's your birthday on the weekend?" Derek asks glancing over at Stiles who nods.

"It's not important, it's just a birthday." Stiles replies casually giving Derek an apologetic look.

"Do you want to do your usual night at the bar with friends and family?" The Sheriff asks as he pours a couple mugs of coffee before handing them to Parrish and Derek.

"Nah I just want a quiet birthday, it's only my 19th." Stiles answers taking a bite of his food.

"C'mon man! You only turn 19 once, might as well make a real party out of it." Boyd replies and Stiles rolls his eyes.

"You just want me to have a big party at the bar so you can spend more time with Erica." Stiles states and Boyd shrugs his shoulders innocently.

"We'll do whatever you want to do Stiles, just let me know by tonight so I can organise it." The Sheriff says patting Stiles' shoulder as he stands up. "Can I take your Jeep for a quick drive to check the cattle? The cruiser is locked in the shed, the Jeep will be quicker."

"Yeah go for it, keys are in the bowl on the bench." Stiles waves as he steals a sip of Derek's coffee with a cheeky grin.

"Has anyone checked the rain gage this morning? How much rain did we get yesterday?" Parrish asks leaning back in his chair.

"We had roughly 50mm give or take." Scott answers as he rolls up the sleeves of his red and black flannel.

"How did your date go last night?" Boyd asks looking between Stiles and Derek with curiosity.

"It was perfect, but I know how annoying it is when Scott brags about his dates with Allison. So all I'll say is that the date was amazing and my boyfriend is the best!" Stiles states with a smile and Derek shakes his head as his cheeks blush slightly.

"Hey! I do not brag about my dates with her!" Scott shouts in defence and the farmhands all shake their heads.

"I can't even take your side with this McCall. You never shut up about Allison." Boyd comments and Scott rolls his eyes.

"Scotty, you're basically my brother so I mean this in the nicest way possible but I agree with Boyd." Stiles adds trying not to laugh as Scott folds him arms over his chest in attempt to look annoyed.

"Whatever dude. Come help me with the dishes." Scott replies and Stiles sighs standing up giving Derek a kiss before taking everyone's plates to the sink.

"Hey Parrish-" Boyd begins to say when the Sheriff suddenly cuts him off.

"Stiles your Jeep won't start again." The Sheriff shouts walking into the room and Stiles curses under his breath. "I don't think this is stuff is gonna work much longer." The Sheriff continues holding up a roll of tape.

"Duct tape?" Derek questions raising his eyebrows at Stiles.

"Hey I- Stop with the judgy eyebrows, okay! That duct tape kept her alive for an extra four years." Stiles says defensively as Scott shakes his head laughing.

"Do you mind having a look at it Derek?" The Sheriff asks ignoring his son and Derek nods standing up following the Sheriff outside.

Derek grabs his tools from the back of the old farm ute before walking over towards the Sheriff who lifts the bonnet of the Jeep up.

"How long since it was last serviced?" Derek asks putting his tools down as he reaches the Jeep and begins inspecting the engine.

"I think it's only been serviced once in past 15 years. It's not worth the money to take it to a shop but somehow the old girl is still alive." The Sheriff answers and Derek nods before grabbing his spanner to begin the work.

"Why did Stiles seem unexcited about his birthday?" Derek asks glancing at the Sheriff who was leaning against the headlights of the Jeep watching him work.

"That's because he isn't excited." The Sheriff answers with a sigh. Why wouldn't he be excited about his birthday?

"His mother passed away the day before his eighth birthday." The Sheriff starts to explain and suddenly Derek begins to understand. "After that day he never liked his birthday. It brings up memories the both of us have spent years trying to burry, you know what's it like. So every year we usually just go to the bar and treat it like a usual get together with friends."

"I'm sorry sir, I had no idea..." Derek says shaking his head, knowing it would be hard for the Sheriff to talk about his wife.

"No it's okay and please Derek, call me John." The sheriff replies with a smile and Derek nods.

"Can you hand me the wrench, John?" Derek asks glancing at the Sheriff who smiles fondly before grabbing the tool as Derek leans over the engine to get a closer look.

Without warning the bonnet of the Jeep lets out an awful creaking noise.

"Derek!" The Sheriff's voice suddenly shouts in alarm. But before Derek can even register what the Sheriff was meaning, the bonnet unhinges itself and slams down on the back of Derek's head.


	20. Chapter 20

_*bang*_

"What the hell was that?" Stiles questions turning towards the front door, that didn't sound too good.

"Probably Derek putting the bonnet of the Jeep back down." Boyd replies casually as he dries the dishes.

"I'm gonna go check, just to make sure." Stiles states as he pulls his boots on and walks outside.

He spots his father and Derek by the sheds in front the Jeep and walks over to check on them. Derek was leaning forward with his hands on the front of the closed bonnet with his head hanging low and his father is right next to him, watching him. Something isn't right, the way Derek is standing and how his dad is hovering over him... something isn't right, Stiles thinks to himself as he walks a little faster towards them.

His dad looks worriedly over Derek's shoulder to signal Stiles' concern, doing nothing but making Stiles' heart beat faster as he jogs the rest of the way to his dad and boyfriend.

"Hey, you doing alright big guy? What happened?" Stiles asks placing a hand on Derek's back as he notices the older mans eyes were closed and his jaw clenched. Stiles has been with Derek long enough to know that means Derek is either in pain or close to snapping at someone.

He quickly glances over at his father for an explanation knowing it would be quicker than to get Derek to explain.

"The bonnet fell down and Derek was underneath it. It hit the back of his head hard but he just keeps saying 'he'll be fine in a few minutes.'" The Sheriff says in with a worried tone and Stiles nods turning back to Derek, who's knuckles were turning white from gripping the Jeep too tightly.

"Are you alright?" Stiles asks again. His tone more gentle and caring than before and Derek opens his eyes staring at the bonnet of the Jeep, but doesn't move.

"I'm fine." Derek replies in an emotionless voice.

"Are you sure? Because it kinda looks like your head might explode." Stiles states and Derek shakes his head slightly.

"Shut up, Stiles." Derek groans as he stands himself up straighter still leaning his hands on the Jeep.

"Well, I see you haven't lost the ability to be rude, so I'm taking that as a good thing." Stiles responds with a slight smile.

"Thanks." Derek mutters, in too much pain to say much else as he places his hand on the back of his head.

"Just wait here, I'll go grab some pain killers." Stiles says as he runs back towards the farm house.

"Derek, be honest with me, how bad is it?" The Sheriff asks watching the way Derek's face twists in pain as he removes his hand off the back of his head. "Aw crap." The Sheriff mutters spotting blood on Derek's hand. He looks over to the back of Derek's head and mentally slaps himself for not spotting the blood slowly dripping down the back of his neck.

"It looks worse than it feels." Derek finally answers putting his hand back over the back of his head with a grimace.

"Can you walk to the house?" The Sheriff asks putting his hand on Derek's shoulder.

"Yeah." Derek replies taking a step back from the Jeep still holding his hand firmly on the back of his head as he lets the Sheriff walk him slowly back towards the farm house.

They reach the front porch when Stiles comes running out the door and comes to a quick holt in front of them.

"Open the door, son." The Sheriff orders, still with his hand on Derek's shoulder in case the younger man falls over.

"Shit is that blood?" Stiles questions eyes going wide with worry and the Sheriff nods as Stiles quickly opens the front door, nearly falling over the door mat as he does.

"I'm fine Stiles, don't worry." Derek reassures but with the blood that was currently dripping down his neck and hand, Stiles disagrees.

"Parrish!" The Sheriff shouts as they walk into the kitchen. The three farmhands turn around quickly with a confused expressions until they see the blood.

"Sit him down. Scott find me the first aid kit. Boyd get me a damp cloth." Parrish orders jumping straight into action. His military training obviously coming in handy, Stiles thinks as he watches Parrish examine the back of his boyfriends head.

"What the hell happened?" Parrish asks glancing up at the Sheriff for an answer before focusing back on Derek.

"The bonnet fell and slammed against his head." The Sheriff replies as Boyd hands Parrish a damp cloth and he starts wiping away the excess blood.

"I honestly can't leave you alone for five minutes can I?" Stiles questions placing his hands on his hips watching Derek causing him to laugh before squeezing his eyes shut in pain.

"You're not gonna pass out on me are you Hale?" Parrish asks crouching down in front of him.

"No." Derek responds glancing at Stiles giving him a soft smile as he grabs his boyfriends hand. The pain coming from the back of his head hurts like hell, he knows there's a deep cut but due to his hair he knows Parrish can't tell how bad it is.

"Alright good, because this will sting a little." Parrish warns as he grabs a large alcohol wipe out the first aid kit and wipes it against the cut.

Derek bites his lip to stop himself from screaming, as the alcohol hits his fresh cut. After a few seconds the pain dies down and he opens his eyes to find Stiles sitting right in front of him.

"That was more than a little." Derek gasps glancing at Parrish who gives him an innocent smile.

"That looks like it needs stitches." Scott comments from the other side of Parrish who nods in agreement.

"You should really go to the hospital and get this properly cleaned and stitched up." Parrish states but Derek shakes his head.

"I know. I know. No hospitals. They're too easy to track. But if you get an infection because it wasn't properly cleaned and not stitched, don't blame me." Parrish responds as he grabs a stick on bandage and covers the cut with it using masking tape to hold it in place better.

"I think you have a fairly bad concussion as well. I wouldn't do much today unless you want your head to feel worse." Parrish explains as he starts to pack away the first aid.

"We'll do your jobs around the farm today, Derek. Just take it easy because that cut looks awful, no offence." Scott says and Derek nods.

"Thanks guys and thank you Parrish." Derek says glancing between the farmhands who all nod before heading outside to start the days work.

"I have work in a few hours, so if you guys need me I'll be in my office doing book work for the farm. Take it easy Derek." The Sheriff says patting Derek's shoulder softly before walking off.

Derek leans forward in the chair until his elbows were leaning against the kitchen table and he rests his head in his hands trying to ignore the pain in his head.

"It's bad isn't it?" Stiles asks softly pulling a chair out from the table and taking a seat next to him.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Derek insists turning slightly so he could see Stiles who was watching him carefully.

"Wanna come sit in the lounge room? It'll be more comfy on the couch and I am not letting you out my sight." Stiles says and Derek nods not trusting his voice at the moment. His head feels like it's spinning not to mention the pain radiating through his skull.

He stands himself up from the chair slowly as a sudden wave of dizziness takes over and everything goes blurry.

"Whoa, Derek." Stiles says grabbing his arm to keep him standing up right. "Can you walk to the couch?" Stiles asks.

"Yeah." Derek replies softly grabbing Stiles' shoulder for support as they walk slowly into the lounge room.

"Well Parrish is right. You definitely have a concussion." Stiles says helping Derek sit down slowly. "Do you feel dizzy?"

"Yeah, everything's spinning and if I move too quickly it all goes blurry." Derek responds as he rests his forearms on his knees and hangs his head low trying to ground himself.

He hates feeling so helpless, unable to do anything. If something bad was to happen right now he wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to stop it. He was helpless when Laura died, he couldn't do a single thing to help her. He would do anything to never be put in that situation again, to never feel helpless again but yet here he is.

"Let me go get you some painkillers, hopefully that'll help." Stiles says standing up from the couch but Derek quickly grabs his hand to stop him.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Derek responds but Stiles shakes his head.

"Yeah right. Because you totally look fine. You know, minus the cut and bruising on the back of your head and the paleness of your skin and the fact that you can barely walk without falling over. Yeah, you're totally fine." Stiles replies sarcastically folding his arms over his chest as he stands in front of Derek.

"I can take care of myself." Derek argues pinching the bridge of nose in effort to dull his massive headache.

"Famous last words, Sourwolf." Stiles responds sitting back down next to him.

"What did you just call me?" Derek questions raising his eyebrows, unsure if his mind was screwing with him.

"Sourwolf. Your favourite animal is a wolf and whether you like it or not you can be sour." Stiles answers. It is a pretty good nickname, but how Stiles even came up with it in the first place is beyond him. Derek shakes his head with a laugh which quickly turns into a wince as the pain erupts in his head and everything goes blurry.

He squeezes his eyes shut putting his head in his hands for a few seconds until the pain dies down to a bearable level. Before he slowly opens his eyes and lifts his head to find Stiles hovering next to him as if he was about to pass out.

"You're cute when you're worried about me." Derek states putting his hand on Stiles' thigh with a soft smile.

"Then I must be cute all the time." Stiles responds leaning back into the couch with a sigh. "I just hate seeing you get hurt. Which seems to be a lot, like seriously! Like the fight with Jackson! You cracked your ribs and got bruises all over face. The motorbike crash, where you literally shattered your knee cap and could barely walk for weeks. Even now you still walk with a slight limp. Yes I can noticed it and I know it's still painful sometimes by the way you occasionally rub it. And let's not forget the numerous times you have sliced your arm with wire or when you punch walls and mirrors with your fist because you think your Superman and can't bleed! I just hate seeing you get hurt Derek, I know you always bounce back up and move on but I'm terrified for the day where you don't. When something really bad happens and I lose you." Stiles shouts a little louder than he expected as he forces his tears not to fall. He hates seeing Derek hurt because one day he might not get back up. He had to watch his own mother die right in front of him, like hell he'll let that happen to Derek.

"Hey. Hey. Stiles, look at me. I am not going anywhere, alright? You're not gonna lose me." Derek quickly says squeezing Stiles' thigh gently. "I've made it this far without dying, when I never even had a reason to live. But now I have you and I will do anything to make sure that never happens."

"Promise?" Stiles asks unable to stop the tears falling down his cheeks as he looks up into Derek's calm eyes who nods slowly ignoring the pain in his head.

"I promise." Derek replies, placing his hand on Stiles' cheek as he gives him a soft kiss. In that moment Derek knew his life has changed dramatically within the past year. Despite the promises he made to himself when Kate killed his family, he has fallen in love again and will do anything and everything to protect Stiles.

 

-

 

*** the next morning ***

"Yo Derek! Are you awake? Please tell me you're awake man." Parrish's voice shouts as he bangs on the door to the hut.

"Yeah." Derek replies back as he finishes buttoning up his flannel. He slept in this morning which never happens, usually he's awake before the suns up but when he woke up this morning it was nearly 9 o'clock. Whatever painkillers Stiles gave him last night have started to wear off, he can feel the slight thump of pain coming from the cut but his concussion seems to be nearly gone.

"You better not be naked because I'm coming in." Parrish replies as the front door opens and Derek rolls his eyes.

"Whats up?" Derek asks as he pulls his work boots on looking over at Parrish who was covered in sweat.

"We need you're help. The cattle busted open a fence and now they are scattered around the property and it's just you, me and the Sheriff home, the others are in town for supplies." Parrish quickly explains taking a deep breath before continuing. "The Sheriff and I tried rounding them all up ourselves on horseback but they are scattered everywhere it's nearly impossible with just two of us. We didn't want to ask you but the cattle are heading in all directions, some towards the woods, some already into the neighbours property-"

"I'll go get the motorbike." Derek interrupts and he could see the sudden relief flood the other mans face as they both walk out the door.

"Meet me by the gate to the main pasture paddock, thats where the Sheriff is and we work from there." Parrish says climbing onto the back of his horse and Derek nods as he takes off.

Within 10 minutes the three of them were all split up. Parrish rounding up the cattle that were heading for the road, the Sheriff with the ones that had already gotten into the neighbours property, leaving Derek to round up the ones heading for the woods.

Luckily the cattle didn't seem in a hurry to get wherever they wanted to go because within minutes Derek could see them just entering the paddock which leads to the woods.

He rides down the fence line of the paddock, shifting up a gear as he rides faster to cut the herd off. He slams on the breaks as he reaches the gate which enters the woods and jumps off the bike in a hurry to shut the gate.

He walks back to his bike taking a look at the herd of cattle in the middle of the paddock, it's only a small herd of about 50 whereas Parrish got stuck with the larger herd. He quickly scans the fence line of the paddock making sure all other gates are closed minus the gate which leads back to their original pasture paddock. After double checking the other gates he climbs back onto the bike pulling out the kick arm and kicks it down to start the engine but nothing happens. He kicks it down again harder causing the engine to gurgle but doesn't start.

"Don't do this to me, baby." Derek mutters as he pushes down on the kickstarter again and again and again. "C'mon!" Derek shouts ignoring the pain building up in his right knee as he slams his leg down on the kick arm and suddenly the bike roars to life.

"Thank God." Derek gasps in relief, taking a mental note to not turn the engine off again until he's finished with the bike.

Putting the bike into gear he sets off towards the herd to slowly push them through the gate leading into their paddock.

The five minute job which it should have been turns into a 25 minute job because of course the only two bulls the Stilinski's have on the farm happen to both be in his herd.

Within seconds of pushing the cattle together to push them towards the gate, the bulls find each other. Derek's seen his fair share of bull on bull fights throughout the years and has enough experience to know that the fence next to the two bulls won't stand a chance if the two of them keep flogging the shit out of each other.

Without hesitation Derek accelerates towards the two, revving the engine to make as much noise as possible. He hits the breaks, doing a complete 360 around the two, leaving a trail of dust in his path. Just as he hoped the bulls stopped fighting, too interested in him instead of each other. With a grin Derek turns the bike around quickly leaving a skid mark in the dirt to keep the bulls attention on him as he rides towards the cattle in order to push them towards the gate. After a few minutes he manages to get the last cow through the gate and quickly climbs off the bike, leaving the engine running, to close the gate behind them.

He wipes the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, watching the cattle graze on the pasture and nods to himself fairly certain the cows won't be moving anytime soon.

Climbing back into his bike he rides towards the direction the Sheriff went, riding through the neighbours gate spotting the dust in the distance from where the Sheriff was rounding up his cattle.

Altering his course Derek follows the fence line for a few hundred metres before cutting left so he could get to the back of the herd without spooking them.

"Derek!" The Sheriff voice yells and he turns his head spotting him 20 metres to his left. "I will keep the left side in line. You focus on the right side of the herd." The Sheriff instructs and Derek nods riding slowly along his side of the cattle letting them move at their own pace, knowing it'll be easier and would put less stress on the cows.

-

"This would be a lot quicker if you helped Scotty." Stiles shouts as him and Boyd start to throw 5kg bags of livestock pellets onto the tray of Scott's red Toyota.

"You get to see your boyfriend everyday, so shut up, I'm taking this time to talk to my girlfriend who I don't get to see that often." Scott shouts back walking away from the two of them towards Allison who was leaning against the wall off the supply shop.

"Hey Scott." Allison calls as she takes a few steps towards him before pulling him into a kiss.

"What are you guys doing in town?" She asks glancing over at his ute to find Stiles and Boyd throwing bags onto the back of it.

"Just to pick up some supplies. What about you?" Scott asks as they walk back towards the building under the shade.

"Just came here to order new front headlights for one of our trucks. Isaac hit an eagle last week and it smashed one of the headlights." Allison answers and Scott nods with a laugh.

"I remember seeing that in our group chat, he seemed certain that your dad would yell at him for it." Scott replies and Allison looks at him in confusion.

"What group chat?" She asks.

"You really need to get Facebook. We made a group chat the other week, none of use social media much at all but figured having a group chat would be fun and an easy way to talk to each other." Scott explains and Allison nods as she fixes the collar on Scott's flannel.

"I might, who's in it?" She asks leaning against the tree.

"Stiles, Boyd, Parrish, Isaac, Lydia, Erica and I." Scott says pulling his phone out to show her.

"Not Derek?" She questions as she watches Scott scroll through the chat.

"He doesn't even have a phone." Scott answers.

"Of course, it would be too easy track. How is he doing anyway? My dad wants to talk to him properly but I told him to maybe wait a few weeks until everything settles down." Allison says and Scott nods thinking that's probably the best idea.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea. From what Stiles had told me, Derek is still a bit sketchy about Chris which is fair enough." Scott says and Allison nods in agreement.

"Hey! Love birds break it up. McCall it's time to go." Boyd shouts jumping onto the back of the ute as Stiles climbs into the passenger side.

"I'll see you at the farm Saturday night for Stiles' birthday?" Scott asks and Allison nods giving him a kiss.

"Don't work too hard, love you." She says with a smile.

"Love you too!" Scott shouts as he jogs back to the ute climbing into the drivers side.

"Scott and Allison sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Stiles sings putting his seat belt on as Scott turns the key in the ignition.

"What are you, eight?" Scott mutters putting his seat belt on too.

"No I'm five, get it right!" Stiles laughs and Scott rolls his eyes.

"You good to go Boyd?" Scott shouts looking through the back window at Boyd sitting on top of a bag of pellets giving him the thumbs up.

They drive home with the windows down and radio up loud enough for Boyd to be able hear. Scott and Stiles talk about anything and everything from the latest YouTube video about Call of Duty to each other's fan theories about which character will die in Avengers: Infinity War.

"What do you want for your birthday anyway Stiles?" Scott asks glancing at Stiles before focusing back on the road ahead of them.

"Nothing man, I hate my birthday I'm not looking forward to Saturday at all." Stiles replies staring out his window.

"You say that every year but by the end of the night you are usually having fun." Scott says and Stiles shakes his head.

"That's because I want everyone else to have fun and if I don't look happy then you guys aren't either." Stiles simply replies shrugging his shoulders.

"You know your mum wouldn't want this." Scott says softly knowing it was an edgy topic.

"Scott-" Stiles tries to say but he gets cut off.

"You know it's true Stiles. She wouldn't want you to be like this, she would want you to be happy." Scott says putting his hand on his best friends shoulder who sighs with a nod.

"I know. I know. It's just... it's just hard, you know?" Stiles responds and Scott gives him a sad smile.

"I do. Just try to have fun alright, not for me but for her?" Scott asks and Stiles nods.

"Umm guys!" Boyd shouts banging on the back window to get their attention both Stiles and Scott turn around to look at him. "Look up ahead!" He yells and they both look back at the road and in the distance they could see cows walking across it.

"Please tell me I'm not seeing things." Scott mutters as he slows the ute down to let his eyes focus on the animals in the distance.

"I see them too, so unless we are both going crazy -which is very likely may I add- then some of our cattle decided to go for a little tour down the main road." Stiles states already reaching for his phone dialling his dad who he knew had night shift tonight so he should be home.

"Call your Dad, we won't be able to round them up with just this ute." Boyd shouts standing up in the back of the ute holding onto the rail bars as Scott accelerates to cut the cows off before they walk into a strangers paddock.


	21. Chapter 21

"Dad's not answering." Stiles says as he sits up higher in his seat to get a better view of the cattle.

"Is that Parrish?" Scott asks pointing towards the left side of the herd and Stiles nods spotting him riding his horse. "Hold on tight Boyd." Scott shouts slamming the ute into the next gear as he speeds towards the other side of the herd to help Parrish round them up.

After 10 or so minutes, between their ute and Parrish on the horse, they managed to get the cattle back into their pasture paddock with the rest of the cows.

"Were they the only ones that got out?" Stiles asks winding down his window as Parrish rides over to the ute.

"No, the whole lot got out and split off into different directions. Derek and the Sheriff went after the others but looks like they got them all in." Parrish explains looking over at the cattle in the middle of the paddock. Did Parrish just say Derek? He's meant to be resting! Not out chasing cattle through the property far out, he is gonna get a stern talking to about rethinking his definition of 'resting'

"I'm gonna go for a quick lap around the paddock make sure all the gates are shut and then fix the hole in the fence where they busted out." Parrish says and Stiles nods as he rides off towards the fence line.

"Looks like your dad and Derek are over by the main gate." Boyd shouts from the back and Stiles turns spotting his dad on one of the horses and Derek sitting on his bike. Without Stiles having to say anything Scott was already turning the ute around and driving over to them.

Pulling up next to the gate, the three of them climb out the ute walking towards the Sheriff and Derek.

"Firstly, good morning. Secondly what the hell are you doing rounding up cattle? You probably still have concussion!" Stiles exclaims walking towards his boyfriend.

"They needed help and I was the only other one home. I'm fine and the cattle are all back in." Derek answers innocently as he sits on his bike.

"If it wasn't for Derek's help I wouldn't have been able to get the cows out the neighbours property. The other cows would have went into the woods and we wouldn't have been able to get them out." His father suddenly says glancing between his son and Derek.

"I'm gonna go find where the cows busted out and start fixing it before they find it again." Derek states as he sits up properly on the bike pulling the clutch when Stiles suddenly grabs his shoulder.

"No. You are not going anywhere other than back to the house. Parrish is already fixing it." Stiles says as Derek takes the bike out of gear putting his feet back on the ground with a soft nod.

"I'm gonna go double check the rest of the property to make sure we got them all in. You boys unload the bags in the shed next to the piggery." The Sheriff says before trotting off through the gate.

"We'll go unload these bags before the afternoon rain comes, you need a lift Stiles?" Scott asks climbing back into the ute with Boyd and Stiles shakes his head.

"I'll go back with Derek." He answers and Scott nods shutting his door before driving off.

"You and I are gonna have a stern talking to when we get home about what the word 'resting' means because clearly you don't know." Stiles comments and Derek raises his eyebrows with a laugh reaching for Stiles' hand.

"Shut up and kiss me." Derek replies pulling Stiles closer to him, ignoring everything else around them as their lips touch.

"This doesn't mean you're off the hook." Stiles says softly as he rests his forehead on Derek's taking in the smell of his cologne. He runs his fingers softly over Derek's stubble as Derek leans up and kisses him passionately. A soft moan escaping their mouths as Derek cups Stiles cheek as he pulls away slowly.

"How about now?" Derek asks with a grin and Stiles shakes his head trying to hide his smile as he climbs on the back of the motorbike behind Derek.

He waits for Stiles to wrap his hands around his body before putting the bike into gear and riding back to the sheds.

He rides slower then he usually does through the paddock and down the drive way. Mainly because it's safer and he doesn't want anything to happen to Stiles and because he wants this moment to last a little longer.

He takes his hand off the throttle, dropping down a few gears as he lets the bike roll into the shed. He places his feet on the ground to keep the bike standing up and Stiles climbs off first as he turns the engine off.

Leaning the bike against the stand Derek climbs off but the sudden pressure on his bad knee causes it to collapse from under him. He nearly falls over but Stiles grabs his arm holding him up right with a worried expression.

"I knew you still had concussion. I knew it was a bad idea. You're an idiot." Stiles mutters mostly to himself as Derek managed to get his balance putting less pressure on the knee as he takes a few steps.

"My head is fine, Stiles." Derek replies with a sigh not wanting to see the look on his boyfriends face. "It's my knee, I had to kickstart the bike 10 or so times because it wouldn't start and it aggravated my knee."

"You told me your knee was fine!" Stiles shouts as Derek shrugs Stiles hand off his shoulder and begins to walk out the shed trying to ignore him. "Hey, Derek. I'm talking to you!" Stiles shouts again jogging over to him.

"What do you want me to say Stiles?" Derek questions in a exhausted voice, stopping in his tracks. He turns around to face Stiles who quickly comes to a halt nearly walking straight into him. He doesn't say anything, doesn't know what to say even if he wanted to. He hates the way Derek's voice sounds so tired and if Stiles wasn't mistake his voice sounds almost sad.

"What do you want me to say?" Derek repeats raising his eyebrows at Stiles who just stares at him, knowing Derek will talk without him having to answer the question. "That my knee isn't fine? That it hurts more often than not? That I can barely kickstart the damn motorbike without it erupting in pain? That it's my own bloody fault with the bike crash to begin with? The bike crash that caused you to get bitten by a snake and nearly die! You nearly died because of me! I don't need to feel like shit for disappointing you, like I disappoint everyone I care about! I can't even do one God damn thing right without it going wrong. I had a great life years ago. I had the family farm. I had my siblings. My parents. It was perfect and I was happy! Until I fucked it all up because I was a stupid kid!" Derek shouts running his trembling fingers through his hair as he tries to calm his breathing. He knows he shouldn't have snapped at Stiles, he should have kept his cool but he just can't hold it back anymore. Too much has been happening and with Chris Argent in town he can't stop thinking about everything.

"So you're not happy here? Not happy with me?" Stiles questions putting his hands on his hips and Derek stares at him for few seconds trying to workout where he got that idea from before Stiles starts talking again. "Don't even answer that." Stiles mutters as he storms off towards the farm house, leaving Derek standing there trying to process what the hell just happened. His mind is flying a million miles an hour. Imagines flying through his head of his family burning, Paige dying, Laura being shot, Stiles falling off his horse and getting bitten by the snake... they just keep replying over and over in his mind with Kate's voice in the background, 'you're pathetic Derek' 'can't even do one thing right' 'your family would be so disappointed'

Shaking his head trying to focus back on Stiles, trying to ignore everything spinning around him. "Stiles!" Derek tries to shout but his voice comes out weak and it's clear Stiles didn't hear him as he continues walking towards the farm house.

-

"Hey, Stiles! Are you in here?" His fathers voice shouts from down the hallway of his bedroom. He doesn't want to say yes, he just wants to sit on his bed and be left alone. Derek isn't happy with him, he's angry and upset and Stiles just yelled back at him instead of trying to solve the situation.

His father knocks on his door softly and Stiles pulls his knees closer to his chest as he leans against the bed frame. "Come in." Stiles mutters hoping his father might not have heard him but he does and his door begins to open.

The Sheriff stands in the door frame, taking one quick look at Stiles before walking in and closing the door behind him.

"What's going on?" The Sheriff asks, his voice suddenly soft and caring and Stiles sighs looking away from his Dad.

"Derek and I got angry. Started yelling. And I fucking stormed off!" Stiles explains shaking his head and his father sighs putting two and two together as he takes a seat at the end of Stiles' bed.

"Why were you guys yelling at each other?" The Sheriff asks watching his son carefully who fiddles with a loose thread on his jeans.

"I was trying to talk to him about his knee. Did you know it still bothers him? We all know he has a slight limp still, but did you know it's still painful for him to even walk?" Stiles asks looking over at his Dad who shakes his head. "Well it is. And then he started yelling-"

"What was he yelling about?" The Sheriff cuts in, still looking at Stiles.

"He said something about him disappointing me, like he has disappointed everyone he cares about. Then went on about how 'he can never do anything right' and then started saying 'how his life use to be perfect and happy with his farm, with his parents and siblings until he stuffed it all up' I can't remember word for word but that was the gist of what he said." Stiles explains as he goes back to fiddling with the loose thread on the side of his jeans.

"How did you respond to that?" His father asks and Stiles sighs dropping his head on top of his knees, knowing he reacted badly. He wasn't thinking clearly at the time, but he knows that's no excuse. Derek was clearly hurting, he knows something is up with Derek, even before the whole accident with the Jeep's bonnet. Somethings been slightly off about him. But why he suddenly just snapped and started yelling... Stiles has no idea.

"I reacted badly. I wasn't thinking straight, this week has just been stressful and I- I..." Stiles tries to explain but loses his words.

"Because its your birthday this weekend and your thinking about Mum?" The Sheriff asks and Stiles lifts his head looking at his dad with a small nod. "Come here." The Sheriff says holding his arms out and Stiles climbs off his pillow into his fathers arms.

"It's coming up to 11 years dad... How has it been that long yet still feels like it happened yesterday?" Stiles asks not bothering to hide the sadness in his voice and his father hugs him tighter.

"I know, son. I know." The Sheriff says softly grabbing Stiles' shoulders and holding him slightly in front of him. "I hope on Saturday, things might get easier."

Stiles stares at him for a few seconds trying to workout what he means. "What do you mean?" Stiles asks unable to work it out for himself and his father smiles softly.

"Before your mother died, she left you something and told me to give it to you on 19th birthday. I don't know what it is, I haven't opened it but she made me promise to give it to you on your 19th." The Sheriff explains and Stiles didn't realise he was crying until he felt the first tear roll down his cheeks.

 

-

 

*** 2 hours later ***

He knows he looks like shit but he doesn't care. Stiles thinks he isn't happy with him, isn't happy living on the farm with him and that couldn't be further from the truth. He needs to talk to Stiles, he doesn't care about anything else at the moment.

Running his shaky fingers through his hair, Derek checks the time noting that it's 5pm and figures Stiles would be in the main house. Without thinking twice he walks out the hut and heads towards the farm house.

Kicking his boots off in a hurry he opens the front door and walks quickly towards Stiles' room, knowing if he was in the house that's where he'd be.

Not concentrating on anything other than getting to Stiles he doesn't hear footsteps. Until he turns the corner to go through the kitchen and nearly runs straight into the Sheriff.

"Whoa, slow down son." The Sheriff says grabbing Derek's shoulders as he slips on the kitchen tiles trying to stop himself.

"I need to talk to Stiles." Derek quickly says breathlessly glancing to the door behind the Sheriff.

"Just take a few breaths, Derek." The Sheriff says calmly nodding towards the chair and Derek sighs sitting down at the kitchen table putting his head in his hands. "What's going on with you? You look like shit, no offence." The Sheriff says taking a seat next to him and Derek huffs shaking his head but doesn't say anything. He knows he looks like shit, he hasn't slept properly for weeks... his nightmares about Kate and the fire and his family don't just happen when he's sleeping anymore. On his bad days his nightmares happen while he is awake too. Sometimes it's just Kate's voice or Laura's dying screams in his head. But other days he can actually see Kate and his family standing in front of him. He knows it's not real, that they're not really there but it still messes with him.

"You've been acting off for a few weeks, I don't think the others have noticed but I'm the Sheriff, it's my job to notice these things. What's going on?" The older man asks watching him carefully and Derek glances up at him but he doesn't know what to say. He doesn't even know where to begin.

"You haven't been sleeping well have you?" He asks and Derek shakes his head looking down at the table and the Sheriff sighs. He had a feeling Derek doesn't sleep very well. Minus the dark shadows under the boys eyes, he's also noticed every time he comes home in the early hours of the morning from night shift, the light is always on in Derek's hut.

"Nightmares?" He asks and Derek doesn't even look over him and just simply nods. He knows the Sheriff won't judge him for it. He remembers Stiles telling him about how when he use to get bad nightmares after his mother died, his father would come sit with him in his bed until he fell back asleep. "You look like you haven't slept in days, how often do you get them?" He asks, his voice calm with a hint of concern.

"All the time." Derek answers softly resting his hands in his lap so the Sheriff doesn't see them shaking.

"All the time? So every night?" He asks leaning closer to Derek who sighs.

"And more." Derek replies running his fingers through his hair as he glances over at the Sheriff who's face is full of confusion until suddenly it clicks.

"Your nightmares don't just go away when you open your eyes do they?" The Sheriff asks in a sad voice. Hoping, praying, that what he is thinking is wrong but by the way Derek takes a shaky deep breath he knew he was right. "Does anyone else know?" He asks and Derek shakes his head and the Sheriff sighs.

"Stiles knows I get bad nightmares but that's it." Derek answers truthfully and the Sheriff nods.

"How long has this been happening?" He asks even though he's not sure he wants to know the answer.

"The nightmares when I sleep have happened since the fire. But during the day only began a month or two ago." Derek replies fiddling with the edge of the table cloth to keep his hands busy. "I'm not going crazy-"

"I know." The Sheriff quickly cuts in putting a hand on Derek's shoulder. "When Claudia died I was an absolute mess. I woke up constantly with nightmares, it got to the stage where I started seeing her in real life. I would be walking down the driveway and I would see her sitting on the fence watching me. Or I would be driving to work and see her walking on the side of the road." The Sheriff explains with a sigh and Derek looks over at him in shock.

"Do you still see her?" He asks and the Sheriff shakes his head.

"It stopped after a year." He replies and Derek nods before talking again.

"How'd you get it to stop?" Derek asks and the Sheriff's heart breaks hearing the sad and almost desperate tone in the young mans voice.

"The only thing that made it stop was time. As the months went on they got less frequent and eventually they stopped all together." The Sheriff answers and Derek looks back down at his lap shaking his head. "But." The Sheriff begins and Derek looks back over to him with a hint of hope in his eyes. "When it got really bad, I found one way to make her disappear. But I only ever did when it got really bad, like matter of life and death bad. For example if I was driving and she kept appearing on the road before me, I would hit the breaks and swerve to avoid her because that's your first instinct to do when someone appears out of no where."

"How'd you make her disappear? Please." Derek begs turning in his chair to face the older man.

"Pain caused them to disappear. I don't know how it worked something about your brain only about to be concentrate on one thing. Once I worked it out I began carrying a piece of broken glass in my wallet and when it got really bad I would squeeze the glass in my hand and she would disappear. But don't ever do it unless you have to! Alright? Derek, I need you to promise me you will only ever do that if they get really bad." The Sheriff says and Derek nods.

"Yeah I promise. Thank you, John." Derek says with a half smile and the Sheriff nods. Derek's relationship with the Sheriff is one similar to a father son relationship. Derek wasn't all that close with his own father, he was closer to his mother but looking back at it he wishes he was closer to his dad. Especially after seeing the father son relationship between Stiles and the Sheriff. He thinks he's had more heart to heart father son talks with Sheriff Stilinski than his own father and that's saying something.

"How's your head feeling?" The other man asks bringing him out his thoughts.

"It doesn't need bandages anymore so that's a good thing." Derek replies with a smile and the Sheriff nods. "Thank you for making me sit and calm down." Derek suddenly says standing up from the table.

"It's my job, Derek. You have been here for nearly a year and you're like a son to me." The Sheriff says standing up and embracing the younger man in a hug. "Whatever Stiles said to you earlier, he didn't mean it. He's just been stressed lately with his birthday, thinking of his mother." The Sheriff says softly and Derek nods before walking out the kitchen towards Stiles' room.

He walks down the dark hallway and spots Stiles' bedroom door, covered in signs and stickers the young man would have put there years ago. Derek's favourite is a photo of a black '67 Chevy Impala, it's huge and in the centre of the door. He asked Stiles about it once and he said it's off his favourite tv show but Derek can't remember what it was called. Shaking his head, he focuses back on Stiles door.

"Stiles, are you in there?" Derek calls as he knocks softly. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I just... I wasn't thinking clearly and I said stuff I didn't mean. Stiles. I'm sorry."

Derek sighs leaning against the door frame when suddenly the door handle begins to turn. Derek takes a step back as Stiles opens the door and wraps his arms around Derek tightly. Resting his head on Derek's shoulder as Derek takes a deep breath wrapping his around Stiles.

"I love you, Derek." Stiles says softly hugging his boyfriend tighter and Derek smiles.

"I love you too." Derek replies kissing the top of Stiles' head. "I'm so sorry for earlier-"

"It's okay. I overreacted and then stormed off. Not one of my finest moments." Stiles replies with a guilty smile.

"I know you have been stressed with your birthday coming up, brining up memories of your Mum. But you don't have to be alone, Stiles. You got me now and I'm gonna make sure you have the best birthday!" Derek states wrapping his arm around his boyfriend as they both walk towards the lounge room.

"You don't have to do anything for me. I spoke to Scott earlier and I'm gonna try enjoy my birthday, it's what my mother would have wanted." Stiles says with a smile and Derek kisses his forehead with a proud nod as they both take a seat on the large couch together.

They sit there snuggled up together while the Sheriff continuously flicks between channels, not wanting to miss whatever Baseball game was playing but also wanting to watch the nightly news. Stiles rolls his eyes at his father before turning back to Derek who was already looking him before pulling him in closer as they sit there trying to keep up with both channels.

-

*** Friday morning ***

"Derek! How many eggs?" Parrish shouts as Derek barely even walks out the hut. He looks up across the driveway towards the cottage spotting the farmhands under the veranda and Parrish behind the barbecue.

"Two." Derek calls back as he walks over towards the guys taking a seat in his usual spot next to Boyd.

"Where's Stiles?" Derek asks glancing between Scott and the Sheriff knowing they would know.

"I let him sleep in. He stayed up late watching some movie on tv." The Sheriff answers taking a sip of his coffee and Derek glances towards the main house before leaning in closer to everyone.

"I want to throw a surprise party for Stiles tomorrow night." Derek says softly which catches everyone's attention and they all lean in closely. "He deserves to have one good birthday and I'm determined to give that to him."

"I'm in!" Scott shouts then quickly puts his hands over his mouth glancing towards the main house making sure Stiles isn't coming.

"Wait. How are we meant to get Stiles out the house Saturday morning?" Boyd asks looking around the others who all shrug.

"I was thinking you guys should take him out to lunch in Beacon Hills and keep him busy for a few hours while the Sheriff and I get everything organised." Derek replies.

"I can call Lydia. She is known as 'the girl who throws the best parties in Beacon Hills' maybe she can come over and help you guys decorate and set everything up?" Parrish suggests as he turns the barbecue off and places the tray of food in the middle of the table.

"That's probably a good idea." The Sheriff replies and Derek nods as they all begin to stack their plates full of eggs, bacon and toast.

"We could take him to his favourite cafe?" Scott asks and Boyd and Parrish nod in agreement.

"Then after we could take him to the movies to see that new Star Wars that came out a few days ago. That would buy you like four hours to get everything ready." Boyd suggests with a mouth full of bacon and Derek nods.

"When is Isaac getting here?" Derek asks turning to the Sheriff not even worrying about the food in front of him, too focused on organising the party.

"He will text me when he's an hour away. But should be midday tomorrow." The Sheriff responds and Derek nods happy with the answer as he begins to to eat his own breakfast.

"Nobody mention this to Stiles." Derek states firmly as he finishes his mouth full, looking mainly at Scott as he says it.

"I'm terrible at keeping secrets man! And it's Stiles! You can't hide anything from him." Scott exclaims putting his hands in the air dramatically and Derek rolls his eyes.

"Mouth shut McCall, otherwise- Anyway, I started watching this kickass tv series on Netflix the other night, called The Punisher." Parrish quickly explains changing the topic in a flash as he spots Stiles walking out the main house. The others must have caught on with what he was doing and all turned around as Stiles begins talking.

"The Punisher is amazing! I'm not a fan with how the Season ended though, but hey! Marvel revealed that they're making a Season 2, so yay for that!" Stiles responds as he takes a seat next to Derek giving him a kiss and Derek just stares at him with smile. He can't wait to see the look on Stiles' face tomorrow afternoon.

 


	22. Chapter 22

"Happy birthday sleepy head." Derek says looking up from the book he was currently reading. The Sheriff gave him a stack of novels last night because apparently reading helps take your mind off things which Derek slowly discovering is true. He puts the book down in his lap, glancing across to Stiles who was slowly opening his eyes as he stretches.

"You know, watching me while I sleep is border line creepy." Stiles mumbles rolling over on his side. "Let me sleep in." Stiles mutters as he closes his eyes again.

"It's 9am Stiles and I didn't even wake you up, I was just sitting here." Derek replies rolling his eyes.

"Since when do you read anyway?" Stiles asks still with his eyes closed as he pulls his blanket up higher.

"Alright, stop changing the topic and get up. Your dad wants to give you your birthday present and the guys want to take you out for the lunch or whatever." Derek says standing up and jumping on Stiles' bed who squeals in surprise as Derek rips his blanket off.

"Why don't you come with us?" Stiles asks as he finally opens his eyes to find Derek sitting next to him.

"I'm not gonna intrude. The farmhands want quality time with you and plus that gives me time to make you a birthday cake since I haven't had time." Derek explains and Stiles' eyes light up.

"You're gonna actually make me a birthday cake? From scratch?" Stiles questions and Derek laughs softly.

"Yes, you dumbass. Now get up and get changed. Everyone is waiting for you in the lounge room." Derek replies as he kisses Stiles forehead before walking towards the door. He turns the bedroom light on and closes the door behind himself.

"Warn a guy next time! Jesus. That's bright!" Stiles shouts and he smiles hearing Derek laugh from the hallway before he climbs out of bed. He walks over to his wardrobe grabbing a new pair of socks and underwear before walking to the end of his bed grabbing the cleanest looking jeans and his star wars shirt.

He quickly does his hair and puts dyoderent on. He grabs his phone off charge noticing the screen full of birthday messages. He scrolls down his notifications seeing that Allison, Lydia, Isaac, Erica, Melissa and Mr Argent have wished him a happy birthday. He smiles at the screen as he slips in phone into his pocket making a mental note to reply to the messages later.

After going to the toilet he wonders into the lounge room to find his dad, Derek, Scott, Boyd and Parrish all sitting around the couch eating pancakes while watching the previous Star Wars movie.

"Happy birthday!" Scott shouts as he notices Stiles by the door. The others turn around and shout the same thing at him as his father hands him a plate of pancakes and maple syrup.

"Why are we watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens?" Stiles questions as he sits next to Derek on the one seater couch. Forcing his boyfriend to move over slightly so Stiles was able to sit half on the couch and half on his lap.

"How did you even workout which movie it was by looking at the screen for three seconds?" Parrish questions glancing between Stiles and the tv.

"Don't underestimate my ability young Padawan." Stiles states and Derek chuckles wrapping his arms around Stiles stomach as he leans his head on Stiles' back.

"When can we give Stiles his presents?" Scott asks looking over towards the Sheriff because although they are all adults they still look to the Sheriff for permission.

"Tonight, when you guys come back from Beacon Hills we can have cake at the same time." The Sheriff instructs and Stiles groans.

"I don't wanna wait that long." Stiles wines and his father rolls his eyes.

"You'll live." Derek says as he steals a corner of Stiles' pancake.

"I might not! What if we have a car crash on the way to Beacon Hills? Or I get food poisoning at the cafe?... What if a giant tree falls on the cinemas and-" Stiles quickly says causing Derek and the farmhands to lose it laughing.

"For love of God, just watch the damn movie." The Sheriff responds not taking his eyes off the tv causing Derek and Scott to laugh even harder.

-

Stiles, Boyd, Parrish and Scott left an hour ago leaving Derek and the Sheriff to frantically get the surprise party ready.

The Sheriff was outside cleaning the outdoor living area, while Derek was busy inside making a lemon cheesecake. Thanks to Scott who informed him a few days ago that it's Stiles' favourite cake.

"Hey Derek? Are you able to give me a hand for a minute?" The Sheriff's voice shouts from outside and Derek turns the electric mixer off jogging towards the back door.

"What do you need help with?" He asks wiping his hands on his jeans as he spots the Sheriff near the big wooden table.

"I need to move this table over there so everything's under the veranda. It's meant to come in raining tonight." The Sheriff informs and Derek nods grabbing the other side of the table to help move it. "Lydia called me before, she's on her way with Allison and Erica. They have party decorations and food."

"Good, we're gonna need all the help we can get to be finished before they come home." Derek responds before jogging back into the house as he continues mixing the cream cheese and condensed milk together.

Another hour passes and the Sheriff has cleaned the entire outdoor living area, vacuumed all the couches, cleaned all the tables and chairs and wheeled in a large wheelbarrow full off cut wood for the outdoor fire place. The girls arrived about 45 minutes ago and already the place looks amazing. They have hung up balloons, birthday banners, decorations on the table and basically anything you can think of, they have most likely done it.

Allison and Lydia are both currently instructing the Sheriff on where to hang the coloured lights while Erica was inside helping Derek with the food.

"How's your head doing, the bonnet would have hurt?" She asks as she begins to ice the cupcakes her and Derek baked earlier.

"How'd you know about that?" Derek asks looking over his shoulder at her before turning back as he focuses on cutting the meat up for tonight's barbecue.

"We have a group chat on Facebook, its how we all keep up with the latest gossip." Erica replies as she puts the butter knife down and ties her hair back in a pony tail before continuing the icing.

Derek shakes his head with a smile, trying to imagine the arguments they would all have on the chat. He could only picture the kind of things Stiles would send randomly to the group to make them all laugh.

"You've changed a lot since when I first met you in the bar nearly a year ago." Erica comments randomly after a few minutes as she focuses on making the icing even.

"How so?" Derek questions turning around to face her. She smiles rolling up the sleeves her camo hoodie which Derek thinks is actually Boyd's since it's a little bit too big for her.

"You're a lot nicer. You talk more, still not heaps but that's a work in progress and you seem I guess... happy. When you first walked into my bar with Scott and Stiles I could tell you were a man who has lost something or someone close to him. You had this look in your eye... it was like you had given up and didn't care what happened next. I guess you could say I'm good at reading people, I always have been." Erica explains in sweet voice and Derek shakes his head with a smile.

"I guess Stiles has unlocked something in me." He responds and now its Erica who is smiling.

"You've unlocked something in each other. He's lucky to have you." Erica states as she watches Derek carefully. "There's something weird going on with your face."

"What?" Derek asks confused on the sudden change in topic.

"You're smiling! A year ago I never thought I'd see you do that." She replies with a grin and Derek just laughs shaking his head as Erica begins icing the cupcakes again when suddenly a truck horn toots from outside. "Is that Isaac?" Erica asks in confusion and Derek nods.

"The Sheriff and I sent Isaac a list of things to bring here from up North while he was transporting cattle." Derek explains and Erica nods slightly still confused as she puts the bowl down and follows Derek towards the front door.

"What was on the list?" Erica asks curiously as she quickly slips her high heeled boots on.

"A birthday present for Stiles." Derek responds and Erica sighs knowing she'll have to see this present herself if she wants to know what it is.

"Afternoon, Derek. Erica." Isaac greets as he gives Erica a hug. "Can I keep Stiles' present? What he doesn't know won't kill him. She's too cute." Isaac begs and Derek laughs shaking his head.

"I paid good money for her and everything to look after her and the money for your fuel. So bad luck Isaac." Derek responds with a laugh and Isaac rolls his eyes.

"Wait a minute! What the hell did you buy Stiles? A puppy?" Erica questions looking between the two men next to her waiting for an answer.

"Not exactly." Derek responds as Isaac climbs back into the truck and Erica's eyes go wide as she sees what Isaac pulls out the cab of the truck.

"You bought him a dog! Holy shit! She's so cute!" Erica shouts rushing over to Isaac who hands her the leash as she sits on the floor already playing with the beautiful Australian Shepherd.

"Thank you Isaac. I owe you for doing this for me." Derek says shaking the boys hand as they both watch Erica get pounced on by the dog.

"Anytime. Stiles is like family to me, man. It didn't take long to find the shelter and buy the supplies she needs." Isaac says and Derek nods as Allison and Lydia both squeal behind them running towards the dog and Erica causing Derek, Isaac and the Sheriff to laugh.

"Stiles is going to love her. Thank you Derek." The Sheriff says placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Derek, she is so cute!" Allison shouts with the biggest smile and Derek grins, he just hopes Stiles loves her as much as they do.

"I'll help you bring all her stuff inside." Isaac says as him, Derek and the Sheriff grab all the dog food, water and food bowls, inside basket, kennel and all the shampoo and dog brushes she would ever need.

"How'd you know to buy all this stuff?" Allison asks as they set the kennel up by the back door along with her food and water bowl.

"Derek sent me a text of everything to buy and where to buy it from, it was pretty easy." Isaac replies as he fixes the position of his blue scarf.

"But Derek doesn't have a phone." Lydia states with a confused expression glancing over at Derek.

"I borrowed the Sheriff's phone." Derek explains glancing at the clock on the wall. "We better keep getting ready, they could be here within the hour."

-

"Dude that movie was awesome!" Scott states as the credits begin to roll on the big screen. "I can't believe I waited this long before watching Star Wars."

"I tried to tell you since we were kids, Scotty! They better not leave us hanging with this ending! There better be another one." Stiles replies as he checks his phone for the time noting that it's 3:30pm already.

"I still like Star Trek better." Boyd comments and Parrish laughs at the sudden betrayed look on Stiles' face.

"Don't start with me Vernon!" Stiles warns and Boyd shrugs his shoulders as the boys laugh. "Whatever, lets head home I want cake and presents."

"Home it is." Scott replies as the four of them begin walking out.

 

-

 

"What do you think you're getting for your birthday?" Scott asks glancing over at Stiles before looking back at the road in front of him as he turns down the Stilinski's driveway.

"Dad told me the other day that my Mum left me a birthday present for my 19th. He's been holding onto it for all these years and I didn't even know about it. I have no clue what it is." Stiles replies with a shrug of his shoulders.

"That's really sweet." Parrish comments from the back seat and Stiles nods with a smile, too eager to find out what it is but also terrified about it.

"Why'd Isaac drive his truck here?" Stiles questions as Scott parks the ute in front of the cottage.

"No idea. Maybe he just finished a job and it was quicker to come here rather than going back to town to get his ute?" Boyd suggests and Stiles nods thinking that's a pretty reasonable reason.

The four of them walk into the main house and Stiles is shocked to find nobody's there.

"Where is Derek and Isaac?" Stiles questions with a frown mostly because he wants to see Derek.

"They must be out the back." Scott says casually and Stiles nods leading the way towards the back door followed by the farmhands.

He opens the back wooden door and the fly screen door, taking only one step out, when suddenly people yell happy birthday to him.

It takes him a few seconds to process what the hell just happened. He’s standing in the outdoor living area with the farmhands next to him and literally everyone else standing in front of him with balloons and streamers flying everywhere.

"Surprise." The farmhands laugh next to him and Stiles stares in shock as a huge smile expands on his face. They threw me a surprise party. I have a surprise party. They were all in on it.

"I hate you." Stiles states glancing at Scott, Parrish and Boyd who just laugh shaking their heads.

"You love us." Scott replies and Stiles nods before turning back around and taking note who is here. Erica, Isaac, Allison, Mr Argent, Melissa, Lydia, Derek and his dad.

"Holy crap. I don't even know what to say." Stiles says as he begins to take in his surroundings. Everything was decorated, with banners and balloons and coloured lights along the roof.

"How about we have cake and start the party?" His dad suggests and Stiles nods frantically as everyone walks over towards the long table taking a seat as Derek walks over to Stiles.

"I wish I had your reaction on camera." Derek says softly with a smile and Stiles snorts shaking his head.

"I can't believe you managed to keep this from me!" Stiles exclaims and Derek laughs.

"Go take a seat, I need to bring the cake out." Derek replies ignoring Stiles comment giving him a quick kiss before disappearing inside.

Stiles takes a seat at the table exchanging conversation with nearly everyone around him when Derek walks out the door. Everyone begins singing happy birthday as he places the two cakes in front of Stiles.

Stiles stares at the cakes. Then at his boyfriend who takes a seat in the free chair next to Erica and Isaac watching Stiles with a smile. Stiles stares back down at the cakes in front of him, they're cheesecake! Fricken cheesecake! If they're lemon cheesecake he's gonna have to pinch himself to make sure he isn't dreaming.

They all begin singing him happy birthday while he sits there awkwardly staring at the cake in front of him not sure what else to do. What are you even meant to do when people sing you happy birthday?

"Make a wish before the knife reaches the bottom!" Melissa shouts from across the table once they finish and Stiles nods closing his eyes as he slices the cake and everyone cheers. Melissa takes over and cuts everyone a piece which was probably for the best because Stiles can't cut cheesecake for the life of him, it always falls apart.

"Holy shit, this tastes exactly like how mum use to make them!" Stiles suddenly shouts after the first bite and the Sheriff smiles happily.

"Language." He says and Stiles rolls his eyes before looking over at Derek waiting for an answer on how it tastes so similar.

"It was my mother's recipe." Derek replies with a shrug and the Sheriff looks over at him with a smile and a certain look that the Derek couldn't understand.

-

A couple hours go by before Stiles could actually stand with Derek and talk to him properly. Everyone wanted to talk to him, wish him happy birthday and give him a small gift. He kept telling them they didn't have to and thanked them for coming. The girls all pitched in together and got him a years membership to his favourite cafe which allows him to get discounts and a free cup of curly fries every time he goes there. Melissa bought him a new pair of boots after seeing the condition his old ones were in. Stiles can't see what's wrong with them but appreciated her buying him new ones that look awesome with a barbed wire pattern along the top. Chris Argent bought him a box of mixed chocolate and lollies which he knew was probably a bad idea giving Stiles sugar but knew he would like the gift. The farmhands did the same as the girls and all pitched in to buy Stiles the new Call of Duty: World War II and Battlefront II on PlayStation.

"Good shirt for a party." Derek teases as Stiles walks over to where he was leaning against the wall with a beer.

"To my defence I didn't know there was going to be a party and also there is nothing wrong with a grown man wearing a Star Wars shirt." Stiles responds folding his arms over his chest trying to look intimidating but he knew it wasn't working as Derek pulls him in for a hug.

"Well I hope you like surprises because I have another one for you." Derek says grabbing Stiles' hand and walking him towards the house.

"Another one? Wait. Does that mean this party was your idea?" Stiles asks following Derek into the house and he nods.

"Sit at the kitchen table and close your eyes. I will back in two seconds." Derek says and Stiles nods pulling out a chair and closing his eyes. A few seconds later he hears Derek enter the kitchen again and he forces himself not to open his eyes, waiting for Derek to tell him too.

"Alright, open your eyes." Derek finally says after what felt like hours, Stiles opens his eyes blinking a few times at the brightness of the kitchen. He finds Derek kneeling on the ground with the most adorable patchy coloured dog in front of him. Wait, Derek has a dog.

"Is- is." Stiles stutters staring wide eyed at the dog unable to get words together and Derek chuckles with a nod.

"Yes, Stiles. This is now your dog." Derek replies patiently with a smile. "Come say hi to her." Derek encourages as he pats the dogs head.

"Her? She's beautiful!" Stiles says sitting on the ground in front of Derek and in a split second she was jumping all over him and licking his face.

"I think she likes you." Derek laughs watching as Stiles hugs and pats her back.

"How? Where? When? Tell me everything on how you got her!" Stiles orders between laughs.

"She came from my home town. Beacon Valley. Our farm was just outside the town so I basically grew up there." Derek begins to explain as he leans against the table leg patting the dog which is now relaxed and currently curled up in Stiles' lap.

"Beacon Valley?" Stiles asks and Derek nods recognising the familiar look in the younger mans eye.

"Have you been there before?" Derek asks and Stiles shakes his head but he could tell Stiles was trying to think.

"I think..." Stiles begins to say but stops trying gather his thoughts. "My mum use to go there sometimes. I remember her talking about it and how beautiful the town was. Did it have a river running through it?" Stiles asks trying to think what else his mother use to say about it.

"Yeah." Derek simply replies watching Stiles with curiosity.

"A few times a year mum would go there to visit her friends. It's a long drive but mum always said to make sure you take time to be with your friends. Which is probably why Scott and I are so close you know? And once she died... well I guess I clung to my friends even more. Hence why we are all so close. Scott and I became like brothers and Melissa sorta become like a second Mother to me. And I guess my dad like a second father to Scott since his real dad walked out on him when he was only a kid. The two of them basically raised us. Everyday after school I would walk home with Scott to his house and Melissa would make us snacks and take us to the park to muck around until dad came to pick me up. On the weekends Scott usually came up to the farm and helped out with work or tried to because we would usually end up mucking around on the farm and get in trouble." Stiles explains with a laugh remembering all the times him and Scott would go camping in the woods and in the middle of the night come back to the house and fall asleep on the couch because they got scared.

"No wonder you and Scott are so close." Derek says with a smile watching Stiles pat the dog in his lap gently as he listens to the faint country music coming from outside.

"Hang on we are getting off topic. Get back to talking about this little ball of sunshine." Stiles says glancing up at Derek before bringing his attention back to the dog.

"Alright, well she came from a cattle farm before her owners couldn't afford to have her and gave her the animal shelter in Beacon Valley. And before you ask, yes she is trained and can also work with cattle, she's an Australian Shepherd, it's sorta in her blood." Derek explains and Stiles' jaw drops. Not only did he get a dog but the dog grew up on a farm and is trained to work with cattle!

"She's about two years old and as you can see on her collar she has a name. It's what the people at the shelter named her but you can change it if you want." Derek adds and Stiles quickly looks down finding the small tag on the collar, annoyed that he didn't see it earlier.

"Her name is Ace." Stiles states with a smile. "You look like an Ace don't you? I don't want to change her name, she's perfect the way she is. Aren't you Ace?" Stiles asks and Ace barks hearing her name for the first time in a while and even Derek couldn't help himself and laughs at how adorable that was.

"I don't even think saying thank you will ever make up for this." Stiles states rubbing Ace's back while looking at Derek. "How'd you even know she was at the shelter? Actually, how'd you even get her from the shelter? Beacon Valley is over an eight hour drive."

"I talked to your dad about it and he helped me find the shelter's website on his computer and there were heaps of dogs. But the Sheriff and I both instantly knew she was the one. So I used his phone and called the shelter to ask a few questions and when I was happy with what they said I told them my friend would come pick her up for me. So I got in contact with Isaac who was doing livestock transport for a farmer near there. I basically gave him the information, an address to where the shelter was and a list of supplies the dog needs." Derek explains enjoying how shocked Stiles is right now.

"That's why Isaac's truck is here... and wait supplies?" Stiles asks and Derek nods towards the dog bed in corner of the lounge room. "How the hell did I not see that when I walked in?"

"There's also a kennel set up out by the back door. I honestly don't know how you missed either of them but I'm glad you did." Derek replies with a grin and Stiles smiles back.

"You are amazing Derek Hale. Like seriously, so fucking amazing. I can't believe you bought me a dog!" Stiles says when he hears the back door open and close.

Derek and Stiles both turn towards the kitchen door when the Sheriff walks in holding a wrapped present. He instantly smiles at the view in front of him, both boys sitting on the ground next to each other with the dog curled up in Stiles' lap.

"Dad, meet Ace!" Stiles says with the biggest grin and his dad just smiles.

"I knew you wouldn't change her name." The Sheriff says with a proud smile before glancing back down to the present in his hand. "Derek, could you give Stiles and I a minute?"

"Of course." Derek responds pushing himself to his feet and grabbing his beer off the table. "I'll be outside when your done." Derek says to Stiles who nods watching his boyfriend leave.

"This is the present your Mother left for your 19th birthday." Derek hears the Sheriff say and Derek smiles before walking outside giving the two of them some privacy.


	23. Chapter 23

"I can't believe she left me something for my birthday, what do you think it is?"  
Stiles asks as he takes a seat on the couch in the lounge room next to his dad, while Ace begins falling asleep in her bed by the wall.

"You know she left something for me on our wedding anniversary... I think it's the same sort of thing. Just open it." The Sheriff says moving on the couch slightly to get comfy as Stiles begins unwrapping the present.

"It's a wooden box, with a envelope stuck to the top." Stiles states as he peels off the envelope, glancing over at his dad who had a happy smile on his face. Something in Stiles' mind tells him that it's the same sort of thing she got his dad.

He stares at the single word written on the envelope. ' _Open first_ ' in his Mother's signature handwriting. He begins to open the envelope slowly, his hands shaking slightly as he pulls out the small piece of paper. He takes a deep breath before unfolding the paper to reveal a page of writing, a letter. He glances back to his dad who nods softly and Stiles focuses back on the letter and begins reading.

' _To my beautiful young man,_

_I know you are wondering why I waited until you were 19 before giving you this letter. I wasn't sure when I wanted you to read this. I figured now that you are an adult and you're probably not having a huge birthday party like you would have last year for your 18th. I thought now would be the best time._

_The reason for this letter is because I don't know what the future holds for me... for our family. I could still have ten years left or I could be gone within a few months. That's why I'm writing to you now, this morning while watching you and Scott play catch with your father in the backyard._

_I hope you have forgiven me for being sick and having to leave you and your father behind. There is nothing in the world I wouldn't do to change that but sadly I cannot and I know soon enough I will have go. It breaks my heart knowing I will be leaving you both, there is so much I never got to do or experience with you two. But none of us can change the past so I'm going to get right to the point._

_There is something I need you to know above everything else. I love you so much my son, I can't put into words the feelings I am feeling. Seeing that perfect smile on your face right now as you catch the ball, it just makes me so proud to be your mother. I want you to grow up and have a long, happy life surrounded by the people you love and that make you happy. You deserve the best possible life Stiles, don't let my death stop you for achieving that. I will always be watching over you and if you ever get sad, look to the sky at night and that first shining star in the sky that appears, that's me watching you with a smile._

_I know you will do great things in the future, Stiles. Don't ever stop being the kind hearted person that you are. Don't ever let anyone change who you are, if they want you to change then they are simply not worth your time. You are the most amazing ray of sunshine in my life and the times spent with you and your father were the bests parts of my life._

_I will always be with you Stiles but I need to know that you'll always be there for your father. Family is the most important thing in this world, they are the people you can rely on no matter what. I know in the future you will be annoyed about stuff dad will do or say but I promise you, he is only doing what is best for you. Listen to what he says and take note of his advice, he was a young man too ages ago. He loves you so much and when I'm gone he'll need you as much as you'll need him._

_I've left you with this box. Inside the box is a bunch of letters. On the front of each envelope it will say when to open them, you'll understand when you read it, don't worry. I know you'll be tempted to open them all now to read them but please, don't. Open them when it says to, I know you are a curious boy and it'll probably be bugging you that you can't open them (you get that gene from me) but please wait for the correct time._

_Stiles, please just remember that I LOVE YOU more than anything in this world. Even though I'm not around anymore you will always and forever be in my heart and mind._

_I love you, son xxx'_

He stares at the last few words reading them over and over again, not even realising he was crying until a tear falls onto the letter. He wipes his eyes and puts the letter down opening the wooden box, revealing a bunch of envelopes stacked on top of each other. The first one reading ' _To Stiles on his wedding day’_ Stiles actually laughs reading it but couldn't help the smile on his face either. He goes through the envelopes reading when to open them when he suddenly feels his dads hand on his shoulder.

"She would be so proud of you." He says and Stiles looks over to him noticing his watery eyes and that's all it took for Stiles to break.

"She'd be proud of us." Stiles corrects pulling his dad into a hug as tears rolled down his cheeks.

He doesn't know how long they stay like that, it could be seconds, it could be minutes, for all Stiles knows it could be days but they both needed it.

"C'mon. Let's go introduce everyone to Ace." His father says breaking the hug and Stiles nods putting the open letter inside the box before closing the lid.

"Let's go Ace." Stiles says to her and her ears prick up looking over at him. Stiles smiles standing up and Ace follows his lead standing up and walking over to him.

"She's definitely gonna be your shadow." The Sheriff comments with a chuckle and Stiles smiles happily walking out the room with Ace right behind him. "You're so lucky she is already trained." The Sheriff shouts with a laugh and Stiles rolls his eyes as he puts the box in his room before joining the party again outside with his dad.

-

*** A few hours later ***

It was now close to 10pm and the music was still playing and everyone was still under the veranda either eating, dancing or playing beer pong. Melissa, Chris and the Sheriff were all sitting at the table with their feet up drinking and talking while the younger ones were having the time of their lives. It was currently Stiles and Scott verses Boyd and Parrish at beer pong with Issac, Lydia, Erica and Allison cheering them on from the sidelines and Ace jumping around and barking whenever Stiles yells happily. Derek watches with a smile from his spot leaning against a veranda pole.

Derek cheers when Stiles sinks the last ping pong ball as Parrish begins sculling the cup of whatever cheep alcohol was in it.

"Rematch!" Parrish shouts as he slams the plastic cup back down on the table and Stiles nods.

"How about we make it teams of three?" Isaac suggests and they all nod in agreement.

Now with Stiles, Scott and Allison against Parrish, Erica and Lydia with Boyd watching from the side. Stiles glances over at Derek with a smile and Derek couldn't help but smile back watching how much fun his boyfriend is having and how happy he is right now.

He continues watching them, laughing when Allison begins showing Stiles and Scott up.

"Derek." A familiar voice calls and Derek turns his head to find Chris Argent walking over to him. Derek turns back towards the beer pong game noticing Stiles watching him with a worried expression glancing at Chris and then back at him. Derek gives a reassuring nod and small smile and Stiles nods back.

"Chris." Derek greets turning back towards the older man who holds out a new beer for him. Derek takes it with a nod, twisting the cap off and taking a sip.

"We're not gonna be able to go back to how things where before everything turned to shit, are we?" Chris asks leaning against the other pole next to Derek who shakes his head.

"No we won't." Derek replies looking down at the beer in his hand not sure what else to say or do. Him and Chris use to be good friends basically best friends, until he just stopped coming to the farm and basically vanished for all Derek knew. Until he saw him in the Argents car as they left his burning house. He knows it wasn't Chris who burnt his family alive, he knows Chris isn't a bad guy but he just can't go back to being friends with the guy. Not after everything that has happened.

"I figured that much." Chris says with a sigh taking a gulp of his beer. "To be honest if I was in your position I wouldn't even be talking to me right now." Chris admits and Derek actually laughs slightly at that with a nod.

"I know it wasn't your fault. Your father and sister did it." Derek begins to say shaking his head trying to get the thought of Kate out his head. "It was their fault and they tried dragging you into it. I'm glad you got away from them and raised Allison in this sort of atmosphere with these guys." Derek admits looking over at him before looking back at Stiles who keeps glancing in his direction making sure he was okay.

"She's a good kid. I knew if I stayed anywhere near Kate and Gerard then they would try turn her against me. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let her be apart of what they do." Chris explains looking over at his daughter who hugs Scott happily as they win the game. "She's happy here. I'm happy here. With these guys, they are all like family, the Sheriff, Stiles, Scott, Melissa, Lydia, Erica, Boyd, Parrish, Isaac. They're like family and I want you to know that you are in that group as well." Chris says patting Derek on the shoulder before walking back towards the Sheriff and Melissa.

Derek stands there for a few minutes trying to take in what Chris had just said. It will take time but he thinks they will be able to become friends, maybe not in the near future but sometime in the future he's sure they will.

"Everything alright between you two?" Stiles asks bumping Derek slightly and he looks across to find Stiles leaning against him with a happy yet slightly concerned smile.

"No. But it will be." Derek simply replies lifting his arm over Stiles' shoulders pulling him close as Stiles wraps his arms around Derek's stomach. "How's the party?" Derek asks as Stiles leans his head on Derek's chest.

"I haven't enjoyed my birthday in a long time but tonight it's been amazing. My mum left me a bunch of letters, it sounds stupid but she has when to open them written on each envelope. Like one of them is for me to open on dads 50th." Stiles explains.

"That doesn't sound stupid." Derek replies as he kisses Stiles forehead. "I wish I could have met her."

"She would have loved you." Stiles admits with a smile as he watches Parrish and Lydia dance to Luke Bryan's song "Kick The Dust Up" while Erica and Boyd join in.

"Scott! Allison! Come and join us!" Erica shouts while she drags Isaac off his chair to dance with them.

"Only if Stiles and Derek do." Scott replies glancing over to his best friend who smiles while Derek glares at him in response.

"C'mon big guy." Stiles says interlocking their fingers and Derek sighs following his lead towards the middle of the area with the others.

"Sheriff, can you turn the music up?" Lydia asks looking towards the three sitting at the table.

"I can play something better for you guys." The Sheriff shouts as he walks over to the speaker and changes the song.

"Oh my God, it's Copperhead Road." Stiles says in excitement. "Do you know how to country line dance?" Stiles quickly asks looking over at Derek, knowing what's about to happen and Derek nods.

"We have to line dance to this song!" Allison shouts on cue and everyone hums in agreement, all of them rushing towards the table to grab their hats as they shuffle to get inline.

"Crank the music up!" Isaac shouts putting his cowboy hat on and the Sheriff laughs turning the dial up as high as it will go.

" _Well my name's John Lee Pettimore._  
Same as my daddy and his daddy before.  
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here.  
He only came to town about twice a year.  
He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line.  
Everybody knew that he made moonshine.  
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad.  
He headed up the holler with everything he had.  
It's before my time but I've been told  
He never came back from Copperhead Road." Everyone shouts the lyrics while they all line dance, tapping their boots loudly on the ground for better effect.

Derek glances at Stiles and smiles watching him dancing inSync, when he catches Melissa out the corner of his eye recording them on her phone. Derek rolls his eyes but doesn't stop as he adjusts his cowboy hat and continues dancing with them all.

-

 

  
"Kids, wake up!" The Sheriff's voice booms through the outdoor living area. He gets greeted with a bunch of moans and groans from under blankets and in sleeping bags on the floor and couches.

Derek glances around at the group of sleeping people. Half of them lying on the couch covered in pillows and blankets that him and the Sheriff covered them with in the early hours of the morning. The other half were in sleeping bags and swags over the floor in the middle of the outdoor area. Melissa and Chris went home at around 2am driving Allison and Lydia home as well since they both had to work the next afternoon.

"We're not kids!" Someone mutters from the floor but Derek couldn't pick the tired voice and just laughs.

"I don't think they are getting up any time soon." Derek replies softly so he doesn't wake up Stiles who's head was resting in his lap fast asleep. Derek smiles putting his book down on the edge of the couch and slowly stands up, placing Stiles' head on a pillow gently.

"Speak for yourself." Erica's voice responds sleepily and Derek looks over at the other couch to find her sitting up. "Good thing about working with alcohol everyday. I know when to stop drinking so I don't feel like shit in the morning." She explains as she pulls Boyd's blanket up higher so it's covering him properly.

"Someone should stay here and keep an eye on them and someone should go to town and grab them breakfast to help with their hangovers." The Sheriff says and Derek nods glancing over at Erica who was already patting Ace in her kennel.

"Derek and I can go get them breakfast. That way if one of them wake up and throw up we don't have to deal with it." She says with a grin and Derek couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Alright lets go." Derek says as he and Erica walk inside shutting the door softly behind themselves. Derek grabs his wallet off the kitchen bench before they both walk outside.

"We're taking my car. It's got my bag in it." She says and Derek nods catching the car keys she throws at him with a confused expression. "You're driving. I need to do my hair and fix my makeup." She explains after seeing the confused look.

Derek rolls his eyes climbing into the drivers side of Erica's bronze Toyota Prado. He's never been in her car before and straight away he's hit with the smell of her perfume. He looks around noticing the pink steering wheel cover and pink sheeps wool seat covers.

"I like your style." Derek comments putting his seat belt on before reversing out the shed.

"Don't judge, you still drive the Stilinski's farm ute." Erica bites back with a grin and Derek accelerates a little bit harder as she does her lipstick ignoring her growl in annoyance.

-

"You got any idea where we can go to get them breakfast?" Derek asks as he shifts down a gear as they enter the town.

"Something with eggs would be the best idea. They are stacked full of amino acids which break down acetaldehyde." Erica explains as she finishes brushing her hair.

"Say that again but in English." Derek responds raising his eyebrows and Erica laughs.

"Acetaldehyde is the bad headache-causing chemical that's left over when the liver breaks down alcohol." Erica explains and Derek glances at her with an impressed look. "What? I did higher level biology in high school." Erica says like it was completely obvious and Derek just nods knowing better than to say anything.

"Where's the best place to get some sort of eggs? That won't be bad by the time we drive back home." Derek adds as he turns down the main road.

"We could buy them egg pies from the bakery? We'll just have to reheat them when we get back." Erica suggests pointing towards the bakery down the road.

-

Seven egg pies and five soy protein shakes later, they walk back down the road towards where Derek parked.

"I can't believe how expensive this was! I forgot how much of a rip off the bakery is." Erica mutters as she takes a sip of Boyd's mango protein shake.

"You're not even the one who paid." Derek replies as he begins fishing the car keys out his pocket when someone smashes into the right side of his body causing him to slam into the wall next to him.

"You should really watch where you're walking." Jackson's voice snickers and Derek looks up to find Erica by his side holding his shoulder keeping him up right.

"Just walk away Jackson. Unless you want a repeat of what happened at the hospital." Derek threatens glaring at the man a few metres away.

"What about a repeat of what happened at the bar?" Jackson questions with an evil grin.

"Fuck off, Whittemore. We don't have time for your shit. Now get the fuck out of our way." Erica snaps staring at him.

"Geez relax! Are you on your period or something?" Jackson responds and Derek couldn't help but smile knowing Erica won't stand for that shit.

"I started my day by waking up in a pool of my own blood. Is that how you'd like me to end yours?" Erica asks in a threatening tone folding her arms over her chest.

"Whatever, Reyes." Jackson replies as he storms off in the other direction and Erica laughs.

"That line always works." She states with a grin turning back to Derek who was still leaning on the wall rubbing his knee. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just slammed my bad knee into the bricks." Derek answers ignoring the pain as he begins walking towards the car.

"Your limp is worse now." Erica observes and Derek shakes his head.

"It'll be fine in a few hours, it always is." Derek shrugs off but Erica shakes her head.

"I'll drive, you make sure these drinks don't spill in my car." She orders and Derek nods handing her the keys as they climb in her car.

-

"Its 11am get your asses up, breakfast will be here soon." The Sheriff shouts walking back outside with a coffee in his hand. He takes a seat at the table giving Ace a pat on her head as she sits on the floor next to him.

"Stop yelling." Stiles mumbles into his pillow on the couch and the group of guys on the floor groan in agreement.

"Fine, don't blame me when Erica gets here and kicks your asses for still being in bed." The Sheriff replies and grins when the bodies under the blankets and in the swags begin to move.

After ten minutes the guys were all sitting at the outdoor table, Parrish and Scott both on their phones, no doubt texting their girlfriends. Boyd and Isaac were watching the morning news with the Sheriff on the small outdoor tv, the Stilinski's put up a few months ago. While Stiles on the other hand was face down on the table asleep again.

"We're here to save the day!" Erica's voice shouts as she opens the back door. "How is everyone feeling?"

"Why don't you have a hangover?" Boyd asks looking over at his girlfriend who smiles.

"I know my limit." She simply replies as she walks over to him and Isaac. "Drink these they'll help with the hangover."

"What is it?" Isaac asks looking at his cup with caution.

"Yours is a blueberry protein shake, don't worry I know you hate blueberries Boyd, so yours is mango." Erica answers and Boyd sighs with relief taking a drink from the straw in his cup.

"McCall. Parrish. Get your heads out your phones." Erica says placing their cups on the table in front of them. "You guys have banana, drink it all."

"Pies are in the oven, give them five minutes." Derek says walking outside to join them, glad that they were all awake... well minus Stiles who looks oblivious to the world at the moment.

"Are you alright?" The Sheriff asks watching him carefully as he walks towards the table noticing his limp is worse. Derek nods but the Sheriff gives an unbelieving look.

"Hey, Stiles. Wake up." Derek says nudging his boyfriends back who sits up suddenly.

"I'm awake! Which cow got out this time?" Stiles questions quickly glancing around the room before sinking back into his chair.

"Drink this, it'll help." Derek says trying not to laugh at the first thing Stiles shouted. He pushes the protein shake closer to Stiles' who grabs it without hesitation taking a sip.

"This is why I love you." Stiles mutters into his cup and Derek chuckles taking a seat next to him. "Why don't you feel like shit?" Stiles asks glancing up at him.

"I have a higher tolerance to alcohol." Derek replies.

"Wait. Are you calling me a light weight?" Stiles questions between sips off his drink and Derek laughs.

"He totally is, dude." Scott replies in a groggy voice from the other side of the table and Derek rolls his eyes.

"If I'm a light weight then you must be as well Scotty, we both drank the same amount." Stiles responds and Scott shrugs as he goes back to drinking the shake.

"Who's ready to go shift some cattle?" The Sheriff questions out of the blue and the farmhands just stare at him in disbelief causing the Sheriff to laugh. "Relax, I have a stack of movies and tv shows in the lounge room already. So when you guys have breakfast you can crash in the lounge room for the day. I gotta go to work at two, so you can stay in there all day if you want but don't watch Netflix, we don't have a lot of wifi."

"You're the best, Sheriff!" Scott responds and everyone nods in agreement.

They sit there in silence watching the crappy morning news, none of them really paying much attention to it when the oven timer begins to go off.

"I'll be back." Derek states as he pushes out his chair before the Sheriff interrupts him.

"I'll get them, just sit down Derek." The Sheriff says and Derek nods sitting back down.

"What was that about?" Stiles asks looking over at Derek while he was slumped down in his chair.

"Nothing." Derek replies shrugging his shoulders and before Stiles could respond the Sheriff walks back outside with a tray of pies and plates and everyone sighs with relief, licking their lips at the smell of warm pies.

-

"Really you guys? You're watching The Hangover while majority of you actually have a hangover?" The Sheriff's voice questions from the door way and they all turn around to find him leaning against the door frame trying to hold back a smile.

"Actually, its Hangover Part II." Stiles corrects, his eyes glued to the tv.

"That's because we already watched the first one." Boyd adds looking over his shoulder at the Sheriff before focusing back on the tv as he runs his fingers through Erica's hair who's leaning on him.

"And we have Hangover Part III sitting by the DVD player for later." Parrish comments from his seat in the arm chair.

"Forget I even asked." The Sheriff responds shaking his head as he pulls his boots on. "I'm off to work, there's left overs in the fridge from last night, go your hardest."

"Bye, Sheriff." Everyone yells as he walks out the room before they all get comfy on the couches again. Focusing on the tv grimacing as one of the characters get a tattoo on their face.

"God, that would hurt." Scott mutters and Stiles looks over at him from the other side of the L shaped lounge.

"Scotty, I don't mean to break this to you but you have a tattoo. You should know if a tattoo hurts." Stiles states turning back to the tv.

"No, I mean getting one on your face." Scott explains shaking his head. "Am I the only one here who has a tattoo?"

"I have one." Derek replies softly as he moves slightly so he was leaning against the arm rest.

"You have a tattoo?" Isaac questions in shock and Derek nods. "What is it?"

"A triskelion. It's a family thing." Derek says not wanting to go into detail and Stiles grabs his hand giving it a little squeeze to let Derek know that it's okay.

"Where is the tattoo? Or do we not want to know?" Erica asks not looking away from the tv as her favourite actor, Bradly Cooper appears on screen.

"It's on my back and no I'm not taking my shirt off." Derek states and everyone whines in response as Derek shakes his head.

He focuses back to the tv trying to ignore the thumping pain coming from his knee. He moves his leg slightly to try sit his knee at a different angle but it doesn't help. He notices Stiles glancing at him with a hint of concern in his eyes and Derek gives him a reassuring smile. He rubs his knee to ease the pain when a packet of pain killers gets thrown in his lap by Stiles.

"I've learnt to carry them on me because your always in the wars." Stiles simply replies and Derek smiles pulling his boyfriend closer to him giving him a kiss as he rests his arm over his shoulder allowing Stiles to lean on shoulder.

"I love you." Derek whispers kissing him on the forehead.

"I love you more."


	24. Chapter 24

*** the next day ***

"The glass is clearly half full!" Scott states pointing towards the glass of water in the middle of the table.

"No! It's half empty!" Stiles argues as Parrish and Boyd sigh crossing their arms, watching them argue. They have been at it for the past half hour and Parrish was really starting to regret starting the conversation.

"Look at the glass, all it would take is another half a glass and it will be full. So, therefore the glass is half full!" Scott explains and Stiles rolls his eyes.

"No. You already drank half the glass. So therefore it is half empty!" Stiles retaliates with a grin when the sound of rain gets louder as Derek opens and closes the door to the cottage.

"Derek! Save us." Parrish quickly says before Derek even had a chance to take off his boots.

"Do you know it's hailing outside?" Derek questions as he walks into the living room, taking off his now drenched jacket leaning against his chair.

"It's been raining nonstop since last night, the amount of times I nearly went ass up walking from the house to the cottage this morning is crazy." Stiles comments shaking his head as he takes a drink of his orange juice and Derek snorts imagining Stiles slip in the mud.

"Bred is in freezer, do you mind putting four slices in the toaster while you're up?" Parrish asks and Derek nods making his way towards the kitchen.

"Anyway, back on a more important topic. The glass is half full." Scott continues staring down Stiles who shakes his head.

"Half empty." Stiles replies sternly as Boyd groans in annoyance.

"Would you guys stop arguing." Boyd says glancing between the two.

"We're not arguing, we're just having a mature discussion." Scott replies.

"No, we're arguing." Stiles responds as he fiddles with the glass in front of him.

"We're having a discussion." Scott argues and Boyd throws his hands in the air in surrender.

"I give up. You two argue like an old married couple." Boyd responds and Parrish nods in agreement.

"If I kill one of you, will that end whatever this is?" Derek questions walking towards the table as he takes a seat.

"You would probably get sent to jail and jail ain't fun, I can tell you that much." Stiles replies taking another drink of his orange juice.

"Have you been to jail?" Derek questions raising his eyebrows at his boyfriend.

"Once. In monopoly." Stiles admits turning to Derek who gives him the signature Derek Hale Bitch face causing Stiles to laugh.

"Just go get our toast, Stilinski." Parrish says shaking his head and Stiles laughs with a nod giving Derek a quick kiss as he walks out the room.

-

*** later in the afternoon ***

"What the hell are you doing under there?" Parrish questions walking into the machinery shed looking at Derek's legs while he was lying under the old air seeder.

"Making origami." Derek answers and Parrish snorts shaking his head. "The Sheriff wants me to fix the old seeder. He's thinking about putting in a couple paddocks of barley and oats this winter to get a bit more money since we sold all the pigs last month." Derek explains and Parrish nods before realising Derek can't see him.

"That's not a bad idea, but where are we going to get a header from to harvest the grain in the summer? The Stilinski's haven't farmed grain for decades, they sold their header long before I started working here." Parrish replies as he rolls his flannel sleeves down getting a little bit cold.

"Apparently there's a farm roughly 50km north of Beacon Hills that are friends with Chris and Allison. The family, I think their last name is Dunbar, I can't remember. But they rent out farm machinery to other farmers but its a bit expensive which is why the Sheriff really wants me to get this air seeder working so we don't have to rent one as well." Derek explains as he fiddles with one of the hydronic hoses trying to see if it's in working condition.

"How the hell do you now more about the farm than I do?" Parrish asks and Derek chuckles.

"Actually you were there during that farm meeting last night but I think you were still hungover and not fully focused." Derek replies with a frown as he struggles trying to loosen the bolt. "Can you chuck me the socket wrench, I think it's on top of the tool box."

"Do you think you'll be able to get it working?" Parrish asks as he slides the wrench over to Derek under the large machine.

"I think so but it'll take a few hours at least. It clearly hasn't been running for years." Derek answers as he uses the wrench to loosen the bolt. "How heavy is the rain out there."

"Not as bad as what it was this morning. It's just spitting at the moment, but the Sheriff doesn't really want anyone going into the paddocks while the dirt is so muddy because it'll rip up the ground." Parrish says and Derek nods.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that. When is it meant to come in sunny again?" Derek asks as the wrench slips off the bolt causing his knuckles to slam into the bolt. "Fuck." Derek mutters to himself shaking his hand a few times before grabbing the wrench again.

"It's meant to rain nonstop for the next five days give or take. Then it'll come in sunny for a week before the weather will most likely turn to shit again." Parrish answers with a shrug as he glances outside hearing the sound of a vehicle. "That'll be Scott, I gotta help him clean the piggery while the rain isn't heavy. Good luck with the seeder." Parrish says kneeling down to find Derek who gives him a nod from under the seeder.

-

He continues working on the air seeder for the next few hours. Changing broken hoses, cleaning out clogged pipes, greasing all the joints and re-wiring the fuses in the plug.

He wipes the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve as he hangs the screwdrivers back up on the work bench when the rain begins to get heavier.

He loves listening to the rain, it reminds him of the times back on the Hale farm. Him, Laura and Cora use to muck around in the huge rain puddle they would get in the middle of the driveway every time there was a big rain. They would have water fights, even if it was freezing cold outside the three of them would do it no matter what. Laura and Cora would always team up against him and he'd be the one soaking wet and cold but he never cared. Seeing how much fun his sisters were having were enough for him to deal with a little bit coldness.

He smiles thinking of the memories as he grabs his water bottle drinking the last of it as he leans against the work bench looking outside as the rain falls. He looks back down at the bottle in his hands screwing on the lid when something moves out the corner of his eye. He glances over at the open shed door as a blurry figure out in the rain begins to walk closer. He puts the bottle down focusing on the person when she walks into the barn and becomes clear.

"You're not real." Derek states shaking his head as Kate walks towards him. "No. You're in my head. You're not real."

"Aww that's no way to talk to your girlfriend." Kate replies with an evil smile as she continues walking towards him.

"You're not my girlfriend. You're not real!" Derek shouts taking a step backwards.

"Are you sure? Did it feel real when one of my workers shot your sister in the head in the middle of a bar? Was that real Derek? How about the time I burned your whole family alive? Wait, let's not forget about all the fun we use to have together when nobody was around." Kate teases licking her lips as she takes another step closer.

"Shut up! You're in my head!" Derek yells grabbing the metal saw off the table and squeezing the blade in his hands. He squeezes his eyes shut in pain, blood dripping onto the floor. "You're not real." Derek repeats to himself as he opens his eyes and Kate is no where to be seen.

He drops the saw onto the ground with a bang and looks down at his now cut and bloodied palms. Shaking his head he grabs the first aid kit out from under the work bench and wraps a bandage around each cut, just enough to stop the bleeding before he goes back to working on the old air seeder like nothing ever happened.

-

"What the hell is this?" The Sheriff questions after taking a bite of his burger looking over at his son.

"That is a veggie burger, you'll thank me later." Stiles responds as he begins to eat his own, taking a drink of pepsi as well.

"Did Derek get the old seeder working or do we have to rent one?" The Sheriff asks and Stiles shrugs his shoulders.

"No idea. Haven't seen him since this morning." Stiles replies as he rips a piece of meat out his burger giving it to Ace who was sitting on the ground next to him.

"He didn't come in for lunch?" The Sheriff questions and Stiles shakes his head.

"Nah, Parrish said he was busy working on the seeder when he dropped into the shed in the afternoon." Stiles explains and his dad nods as he continues to eat his tea. "How was work?"

"Same old, same old. Did a drug bust down on Pine Street." The Sheriff informs and Stiles shakes his head.

"Isn't that the second one on that street this month?" Stiles asks and his dad nods. "That really shouldn't surprise me." He comments taking a drink.

"Also, one of my deputies pulled Jackson over in his Porsche. He was speeding down Main Street and has lost his license for three months." The Sheriff explains and Stiles nearly chokes on his food as he bursts out laughing.

"I gotta tell the guys!" Stiles exclaims pulling his phone out as he opens the group chat and begins frantically typing. His father shakes his head with a smile before continuing his burger.

-

"Dude, why are you sitting outside? It's fucking freezing out here." Stiles states as he walks across the driveway towards the hut, spotting Derek sitting on his usual chair under the veranda like he does every night.

"It's not that cold, put a jacket on." Derek replies with a grin as Stiles sits down on the seat next to him giving him a kiss.

"I don't have my jacket with me." Stiles replies as he sinks down into the deck chair.

"Here." Derek says as he leans forward taking off his own jacket before putting it on Stiles. "I want the jacket back though." Derek comments as he does the buttons up.

"I make no promises." Stiles replies kissing Derek on the forehead with a grin before putting his feet up on the railing in front of him. "What happened to your book? You usually read." Stiles comments and Derek nods.

"Yeah I do. But I can barely see you sitting next to me so how am I meant to read in the dark?" Derek asks resting his hands behind his head.

"Fair point." Stiles replies as they both stare up at the sky, there's no stars but they could hear the occasional burst of thunder followed by a couple bolts of lightning in the distance. It was relaxing sitting out under the veranda, watching the stars well in this case watching the lightning across the sky.

 

They sit there together in comfortable silence for nearly an hour before Stiles starts talking.

"You're more quiet than usual." Stiles states glancing across at Derek who shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't have anything to say." Derek simply replies and Stiles rolls his eyes.

"Well I have some good news. Jackson has lost his licence for three months." Stiles informs and Derek snorts.

"Serves him right for driving a Porsche that his parents bought him." Derek responds and Stiles laughs with a nod. "The old air seeder is working again, so tell your dad there's no need to rent one."

"My dad is gonna start loving you more than me if you keep fixing stuff around here." Stiles responds as he leans against Derek's shoulder while a sheet of lightning fills the sky around them. He reaches down and grabs Derek's hand but quickly lets go when he feels some sort of material wrapped around it. "What the hell is around your hand?" Stiles asks sitting up straighter as he grabs Derek's wrist trying to look at his hand but it's basically pointless in the dark.

"It's nothing." Derek tries to lie, pulling his hand away but Stiles grips onto it tighter. He pulls his phone out turning the flash light on and he gasps seeing the bloodied bandage wrapped around his palm.

"Derek!" Stiles says in shock, looking at his boyfriends face who shakes his head. "What happened? Please tell me you didn't do this purpose?" He asks but by the sad look on Derek's face Stiles knew he did and his heartbreaks.

"Why?" Is all Stiles can ask, unable to find the words he is looking for as he looks up at Derek who turns away.

"Just don't." Derek replies softly turning away more but Stiles shakes his head grabbing Derek by the shoulder.

"No. Derek, talk to me." Stiles says as Derek clenches his jaw shut before turning to face him. The light from his phone only lighting up Derek's features slightly but it is enough to see the darkness around his eyes and how red they are.

"I've been having hallucinations!" Derek suddenly says a little louder than Stiles expected as he jumps slightly but not taking his eyes off Derek. "It's not just nightmares anymore... I see her everywhere, I see them everywhere." Derek adds softly resting his head in his hands.

"Who are you having hallucinations of?" Stiles asks carefully not taking his hand off his boyfriends shoulder.

"Kate. Laura. Mum. Everyone." He sounds calm but Stiles can tell he is anything but calm.

"Why did having hallucinations make you slice your hand?" Stiles asks squeezing Derek's shoulder for comfort.

"Pain makes them disappear. When I cut my hand on the saw, Kate stopped talking and vanished." Derek explains as he stands up suddenly, leaning his forearms on the railing in front of them. "I don't know why they are happening. I know they aren't real, but it screws with me. I'm not going crazy but there's something wrong with me..." Derek shouts before stopping, not knowing what to say.

"I know you aren't crazy Derek, you have PTSD and that is nothing to be ashamed about. There is nothing wrong with you. You are Derek Hale. You have been through hell and back and you don't take shit from anybody! You are my boyfriend. You are apart of our family. Nothing will ever change that! I love you to the moon and back and there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of that!" Stiles says sternly as he stands up and wraps his arms around Derek's stomach resting his head on his back. "There's gotta be another way to deal with the hallucinations, we will find another way to deal with them. Just promise me you won't do anything stupid, alright?"

"Yeah, I promise." Derek replies in a soft voice turning around grabbing Stiles and pulling him into a proper hug. "I love you." Derek whispers kissing Stiles on the forehead before hugging him tighter.

"I love you more. But c'mon lets go to bed, it's freezing out here." Stiles says softly and Derek nods letting Stiles lead him inside. "My dad would be at work by now so he won't know I slept here tonight."

"Your dad doesn't have a problem with me sleeping in your room in the farm house." Derek responds as he takes his shirt off and begins unbuckling his belt.

"Yes, that's because his room is across the hall from mine and our walls are paper thin."  
Stiles says and Derek nods not needing anymore information as he pulls his jeans off leaving him in his boxers.

"I never get tired of this sight." Stiles comments watching as Derek climbs into bed.

"Get into bed." Derek replies rolling his eyes and Stiles nods taking Derek's hand before crawling into his bed. They don't always sleep with each other, most nights Stiles sits under the huts veranda with Derek until late at night before they both go into their own beds. Mainly because the Sheriff is still a bit funny with them sleeping together. But when he has night duty the two of them usually stay up late watching movies or playing PlayStation before going to sleep together in Stiles' room.

Stiles leans forward turning the bed side lamp off before snuggling back into Derek's arms closing his eyes when his phone vibrates and lights up. He ignores it figuring it's just some pointless notification from some game he hasn't played since the day he downloaded it.

"Stiles." Derek mumbles shaking his shoulder softly. "You're phone keeps going off, it might be important."

"Sleep is important too." Stiles mutters tiredly as he pulls the blanket up higher and Derek sighs.

"Fine. I will get it." Derek says kissing Stiles on the forehead before climbing out of bed. He grabs his knee, rubbing the side of it trying to dull the sharp pain that suddenly spiked when he stood up before walking over to the table.

"This is Stiles' phone." Derek says as he puts the iPhone to his ear not recognising the number that was on the screen.

"I'm Deputy Clark from the Beacon County Sheriff's Station. Am I speaking to Stiles Stilinski?" The woman responds and Derek glances over at Stiles not liking where this conversation was going.

"I'm his boyfriend. Stiles is currently unavailable." Derek simply replies.

"Oh okay. Well I'm sorry for the one to tell you this but Sheriff Stilinski has been injured during a robbery at the local bank. He's been sent to the Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital." She explains and Derek heart begins to beat faster. The Sheriff has been injured.

"Is he going to be okay?" Derek quickly questions running his hand through his hair nervously.

"I'm only the messenger, that's all I know. I got told to call his son and tell him." She replies and Derek sighs.

"Okay. Thank you." Derek says shaking his head as he ends the call.

"Stiles. Get up we need to go to the hospital. Your dad has been hurt." Derek says shaking Stiles' shoulders afraid he has fallen asleep again.

"What? How badly?" Stiles quickly questions as he jumps out of bed suddenly wide awake.

"I don't know." Derek replies quickly putting clothes on as he hands Stiles his boots. He grabs whatever car keys he could find first before throwing Stiles his jacket as the two of them walk out the hut.

Derek looks down at the keys in his hand and points towards the Jeep before climbing in the drivers side knowing Stiles is probably on the verge of panicking and shouldn't drive.

"Did you not ask whether he was okay or not?" Stiles questions as Derek speeds down the driveway.

"I asked. But all the Deputy knew was that he has been injured during a bank robbery." Derek explains and Stiles sighs rubbing his face with his hands. Derek looks over at him and even from a quick glance he could see the panic and worry in Stiles' face. The way Stiles bites the corner of his lip and the way he's fiddling with his fingers, Derek knows he's anxious. Over the past year of being at the Stilinski farm... well nearly a year anyway. He's learnt to read the farmhands and Stiles, he knows the little things they do indicating whether they are worried or angry or nervous.

"Fuck." Stiles mutters running his fingers through his hair as Derek grabs his hand squeezing it gently.

"It'll be okay. Alright? Stiles look at me. He will be okay." Derek says calmly looking Stiles in the eye for a few seconds before concentrating back on the road as he turns off the Stilinski's driveway and onto the road.

"You don't know that." Stiles replies as he checks his phone again making sure he hasn't got a miss phone call.

"Yes I do. If it's really bad then the Deputy would have known about it but she didn't, so it can't be bad." Derek says and he hopes like hell that he is right. Stiles can't lose his father, not after his mother. He can't lose both of them, the Sheriff isn't just Stiles' father he's basically Scott's father too and if he dies it will destroy both of them.

"I hope your right." Stiles replies as he fiddles with the buttons on his jacket watching as Derek changes gears slamming down on the accelerator. They arrive in Beacon Hills 20 minutes earlier than they should have but Stiles was never gonna tell Derek to slow down to the speed limit.

They pull into the car park to the hospital, Derek hitting the brakes as Stiles points out a cop car driving around. He slows down to the speed limit parking in the first park he finds. Within minutes they are walking through the hospital doors. Luckily it was close to 2am so there was barely anyone there other than the few nurses walking and behind the front counter.

"Where's Sheriff Stilinski?" Derek questions as the two of them rush towards the front desk to be faced with a confused young nurse.

"I can't give client information-" The nurse begins to say before Stiles cuts her off.

"I'm his son! Where is he? Is he okay?" Stiles cuts in.

"He's okay. He came in with a bullet wound. He's in room 208 on level two." The nurse explains and without any further words Derek grabs Stiles' hand and leads him to the elevator.

"Gun shot wound!" Stiles states shaking his head as Derek keeps pressing the second level button in the elevator impatiently.

"The nurse said he was okay." Derek reminds him staring at the elevator doors which can't open quick enough. Stiles squeezes his hand gently causing Derek to look across at him giving him a soft smile as the elevator doors open.

They reach room 208 and without hesitation Stiles opens the door to find his father sitting on a bed with Melissa standing in front of him.

"Dad?" Stiles calls as he takes a few more steps into the room while Derek closes the door behind him but doesn't move, wanting to give the Stilinski's some space.

"Stiles?" The Sheriff asks turning his head and a smile appears on his face as he spots his son walking towards him.

"What happened? Are you okay?" He asks looking back and forth between his dad and Melissa.

"Bank robbery went south." The Sheriff responds with a smile and Stiles rolls his eyes with a sigh of relief, knowing if his father is making light of the situation then he is okay.

"The bullet went all the way through his shoulder. It was a clean shot and hasn't damage any major nerves or tendons so all we had to do was stitch up both sides." Melissa informs as she finishes wrapping the Sheriff's shoulder with bandages. "He'll need to take these painkillers once a day for a week and he shouldn't do any heavy lifting or farm work for three weeks." She adds handing the Sheriff the bottle of painkillers.

"So he's okay?" Stiles asks carefully and Melissa nods. "Thank God." He mutters before pulling his dad into a hug.

"I'm fine kiddo, I ain't going anywhere." The Sheriff reassures, patting Stiles on the back with his good arm. He glances up at the door spotting Derek leaning against the wall with a very tired but relieved expression. The Sheriff gives him a nod of thanks and Derek nods back with a half smile knowing what the older man was trying to say.

"I'll go get the last of the paper work and then I'll be able to sign you out so you all can get some sleep." Melissa says with a smile as she walks out the room.

"Don't ever do that again!" Stiles shouts but by the happy expression Derek can tell he isn't angry.

"Do what? Get shot? Trust me it wasn't my intention." The Sheriff responds and Derek chuckles.

"I got a call in the middle of the night from one of your Deputy's saying you have been injured during a bank robbery and are at the hospital! You could have been bleeding out, you could have had dislocated your shoulder, you could have been stabbed and on your death bed! I didn't know what to think." Stiles quickly says as his dad puts his hand on his shoulder giving him a look that Stiles knew all too well. He nods taking a few deep breaths and then smiles. "I'm so glad you are okay."

"You and me both, kid. Now let's go meet Melissa by the front desk so we can go home." The Sheriff says climbing off the bed ignoring Stiles' hand for help. "I may not be able to lift my left arm very high at the moment but I can still walk and do stuff myself." His father says and Stiles rolls his eyes but nods anyway.

"Good to see you alive, Sheriff." Derek says with a soft smile. He's had too many people close to him die. When Laura died he thought it was the end, he couldn't handle it, couldn't live knowing that everyone he loved and cared about were now gone while he was still living. Her death broke him, he hasn't been the same since that day and he knows he never will be. He can't handle anymore people dying. He hates even the thought of someone else he cares about dying, especially someone who means the absolute world to Stiles. They have both seen enough death to last a life time, they don't need anymore.

The Sheriff looks over at him as he walks towards him noticing the hint of sadness in his expression that Derek's trying to keep neutral but he can see right through him, he isn't the Sheriff for nothing. He gives Derek a smile before he notices the way the younger man is holding  sleeves down over his hands, it wouldn't have meant much if it wasn't for the tiny part of bandage that was sticking out and the Sheriff sighs knowing exactly what that's from.

"Come here." The Sheriff says holding his arm out with a sad smile as he gives Derek a tight hug. "You're a good kid, don't let anyone dead or alive tell you otherwise."


	25. Chapter 25

"How much more paper work do I have to fill out?" The Sheriff questions as he turns the page finding another whole section on the back to fill out.

"Just one more after this." Melissa answers with a laugh while sliding another sheet of paper towards him on the counter as he groans in annoyance.

"We'll go get the Jeep and wait for you at the front." Stiles states and his father nods before Stiles and Derek walk out the hospital.

Grabbing Derek's hand Stiles pulls him in for a kiss as they exit the hospital.

"What was that for?" Derek asks unable to hide his smile as he kisses Stiles back.

"It's two in the morning and you managed to keep me sane while I was freaking out during the drive here and because I love you." Stiles answers and Derek rolls his eyes.

"I would do anything for you Stiles, you don't need to thank me." Derek replies kissing him on the forehead as he wraps his arm around Stiles' shoulder while they walk across the carpark towards the Jeep.

"Look what we have here boys!" A male voice shouts from somewhere to their left. Derek and Stiles both turn around to find three men walking towards them. They were roughly in their early twenties all wearing baggy jeans and muscle tank tops. "Couple of faggots walking alone!" The man in the middle finishes and Derek feels Stiles suddenly tense beneath his arm.

"What did you just say?" Derek questions in a stern tone as he takes his hand off Stiles' shoulders, putting his arm in front of Stiles as he takes a step in front of the younger man. 

"I think you heard me gay boy." The same man replies with a sick grin.

"They're not worth it, let's go." Stiles says softly pulling on Derek's flannel but he doesn't move and Stiles knows this won't end well for the three guys. This isn't the first time in the past year that he's seen Derek in a fight, he knows these guys don't stand a chance.

"Better listen to your little faggot boyfriend." The blonde haired man on the left comments and Stiles mentally facepalms knowing Derek is gonna snap if they keep saying this shit.

"Walk away now and no body gets hurt." Derek responds as his hands form fists by his side. 

"Now why would we do that?" The main guy asks who Stiles is suspecting to be the leader of the group. The others haven't said much they're just sorta standing next to the main guy trying to look tough.

"Because I asked politely, and I only do that once." Derek states taking another step forward as the three men stop walking a few metres in front of them. 

"Ohhh we have a tough guy, how about your boyfriend? Is he tough enough to take me down?" The man says taking a step forward and Derek glances backwards towards Stiles who nods with a slight smile.

"My guess is if you and I go hand to hand you could probably figure out under ten seconds whether or not I could kick your ass." Stiles comments keeping his expression stern.

"You little shit." The man says eyeing Stiles with his hands turning into fists as he marches towards him.

Stiles watches in amusement as Derek steps in front of him grabbing the mans shoulders and throwing him to the ground with a thud. The blonde guy steps in throwing a couple punches in Derek's direction but before Stiles can see what happens next the third guy comes at him. He grins dodging the mans punch while landing a solid jab to the guys stomach. He kicks the mans legs out from under him as he smashes his head on the pavement from the impact. Stiles glances over at Derek just in time to see him throw the main guy back onto the ground next to the blonde guy who looks unconscious.

"Let's go get the Jeep. These guys won't be bothering us again." Derek says breathlessly as he wipes the blood off chin from his split lip.

"You okay?" Stiles asks putting his hand on the side of Derek's face to get a better look at him and Derek nods slightly.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Derek questions a hint of anger washing over him and Stiles quickly shakes his head.

"I'm fine. It's been a while since I've been in a fight." Stiles admits as he grabs Derek's hand while they continue walking to the Jeep leaving the three men lying on the sidewalk.

"I didn't even know you knew how to fight, no offence." Derek says with a proud expression and Stiles blushes slightly.

"I went to high school with dickheads who found beating kids up was enjoyable. So Scott and I quickly learnt how to fight within the first month of going there. Plus my dads the Sheriff so basically free self defence training. Melissa also taught us the best places to hit people to make them go down like a sack of potatoes." Stiles explains and Derek chuckles with a smile as they climb into the Jeep.

"You always find a new way to amaze me Stiles Stilinski." Derek replies as he reverses out the carpark and drives towards the front entrance of the hospital. "You might want to go in and tell Melissa that there's three guys in the carpark that may or may not need medical attention." 

"Can't we just leave them there?" Stiles whines and Derek raises his eyebrows trying to hide his smile. "Fine. I'm going." Stiles says climbing out the Jeep as slow as possible causing Derek to roll his eyes with a laugh.

After a few minutes the Sheriff climbs into the passenger seat of the Jeep with a complaining Stiles who gets kicked into the backseat.

"Shut up Stiles. You'll be in the front seat soon." The Sheriff says as Derek drives out the hospital carpark. "I need to pick up the police cruiser, it's still parked near the bank from earlier."

"Are you sure driving is a good idea? Changing gears with fresh stitches in your shoulder?" Stiles asks sticking his head between the two front seats while resting it on Derek's shoulder.

"I can drive the cruiser home for you, Sheriff." Derek suggests, flicking the windscreen wipers on as it begins to rain and the Sheriff gives a reluctant nod.

 

-

 

*** 45 minutes later ***

 

"What the heck is going on?" Scott mumbles turning the outside light on in the cottage before walking over towards the Jeep in front of the farm house. "Stiles?" Scott calls as he slips on a tank top beginning to jog as he realises it's raining.

"Shit. Sorry did we wake you?" Stiles asks climbing out the drivers side.

"I heard a vehicle and saw your car lights through my window. Where were you two driving at three in the morning?" Scott questions rubbing his eyes trying to wake himself up.

"I got shot in the shoulder during a bank robbery. I'm fine but Stiles and Derek came to pick me up from the hospital." The Sheriff explains and Scott stares at him in shock not sure how to respond to that. "Anyway I'm gonna go get some sleep, don't worry about getting up early for work Stiles, sleep in." The Sheriff says and Stiles nods and says goodnight as his father walks into the house.

 Stiles gestures towards the two rocking chairs under the porch of the farmhouse and Scott gives him a sceptical look before nodding as they both take a seat.

 "Are you alright?" Scott asks knowing something is definitely up with his best friend but not sure what exactly.

"I don't know what to do, Scott." Stiles states leaning his head back against the head rest of the chair. Scott watches him for a few seconds trying to read him but can't figure out what's going on.

"You don't know what to do about what?" Scott asks turning in his chair slightly to face him.

Stiles sits there for a few minutes contemplating what and how to say whatever he's going to tell Scott. Scott can tell he's thinking, he knows it's best to wait for Stiles to find the right words instead of pushing him to talk.

 "Derek." Stiles says shaking his head as he fiddles the button on his jacket. 

"Okay... Go on." Scott says patiently with a nod and Stiles sighs. 

"Derek has PTSD and I don't know how to help him." Stiles finally says and Scott sighs running his fingers through his bed hair.

"I had a suspicion he might suffer from it." Scott admits leaning forward in his chair as Stiles gives him a confused look. "Mum use to tell me stories about war veterans who she use to help at the hospital who had PTSD. She explained to me how random things could trigger off memories about the war. It could be certain sights, smells, sound, location, people, significant dates like anniversaries or even feelings they have experienced. It would trigger bad memories that most of them spend years trying forget. Like one time someone spilled tomato sauce on their white shirt and the veteran next to them panicked thinking it was blood from a gun shot wound. Or one time someone went to take a photo of one of the veterans and had the flash on. The flash triggered a memory and mum thinks the guy thought it was a flash from a gun fire."

Scott sighs taking a deep breath before continuing as Stiles still looks at him in confusion. "Ever noticed when we have had bonfires that Derek flinches when fire sparks or the way he watches the fire carefully and never goes anywhere near it? Or how about the time Boyd and Parrish went out in a paddock with the shotgun and shot clays? You saw the way Derek panicked hearing the first gun fire, it wasn't just a fright from the noise, it was a full on panic for a few seconds before he got a hold of himself. I could keep going but by the look on your face I think you have noticed these things before." Scott says and Stiles nods with his eyes wide.

"I can't believe I never put two and two together. I've noticed it all I just never thought much of it. I can't believe I didn't realise this sooner!" Stiles shouts in almost a whisper not wanting to wake his father or the other farmhands up.

"It's not your fault. How were you meant to know? I only noticed because of the stories mum has told me but even then I didn't think a lot of it until you just said it. How bad does he have it?" Scott asks and Stiles sighs wiping his face with his hands hating himself.

"Bad." Stiles simply answers not wanting to give Derek's personal information away, it's not his place to tell people and Scott nods. "I don't know how to help him. He doesn't talk about it, I only know because I could tell something was wrong and pushed him for an answer but I don't know what to do."

"I'm probably not the best person to ask for help since I don't suffer from PTSD but if you want my best advice... try not to pressure him into talking about it. He's not much of a talker to begin with let alone with this hanging over him. Just make sure he knows your willing to listen whenever he wants to talk about it or just hangout if he doesn't." Scott suggests and Stiles nods with a half smile.

"Thanks Scotty, I don't know what I'd do without you." Stiles says and Scott chuckles shaking his head.

"You would probably crash and burn." Scott states with a shit eating grin and Stiles punches his left arm softly with laugh.

"And without me you would shrivel up and die." Stiles responds and Scott snorts but nods with agreement when the sound of a dogs collar rattling feels the air. They both turn in the direction of the noise to find Ace walking over to them.

"Aww sorry buddy, we must have woken you up." Stiles says sweetly bending over to cuddle Ace who sits by his feet.

"Hey Stiles, where is Derek? I didn't see him get out the Jeep." Scott suddenly asks looking over towards the hut but he couldn't see any lights on.

"He's driving dad's cruiser home... he should have been right behind us though!" Stiles says standing up and looking down the driveway. Panic begins to hit when he couldn't see any headlights down the driveway.

"Hey. Stiles. Relax I'm sure he's fine, he could have stopped somewhere in town." Scott quickly assures after seeing the panic in Stiles' eyes.

"Where would be stop at nearly four in the morning? And it's raining and he's never driven the police cruiser before, he wouldn't know how well the vehicle turns and brakes on wet roads-" Stiles begins to says his fingers beginning to shake as he pats Ace trying to calm himself.

"Stiles. Listen." Scott says rather loudly which works as Stiles shuts up trying to listen for something, ignoring the sound of rain falling when suddenly the sound of a car engine fills the air.

 "Thank God." Stiles sighs knowing the sound of his fathers cruiser anywhere.

 Within five minutes Derek pulls up next to the Jeep and climbs out jogging over to the farm house having spotted Scott and Stiles sitting under the veranda.

"Where did you go?" Stiles questions curiously as Derek leans against the pole next to him giving Ace a pat.

"The cruiser had a flat tyre and now I'm drenched from the rain." Derek replies with half a laugh and Stiles gives him a sympathetic look thinking he should have waited to make sure Derek was okay in the cruiser before driving off. "No big deal, just make sure you tell your dad he needs to get the tyre fixed because he currently doesn't have a spare."

"I'll do that in the morning." Stiles responds and Derek nods. "We all should probably get some sleep, sorry for waking you Scott."

"It's fine, I'm just glad everything is okay and that your dad is alright." Scott responds as he stands up with a stretch.

"Isaac is coming sometime tomorrow with a semi load of barley seeds from down south. If I'm not awake by the time he's about to leave can you get someone to wake me up to fill out the forms and give him the money?" Stiles asks standing up as well while giving Ace a scratch behind her ear.

"Yeah, sure man. You two both need sleep. Goodnight." Scott says as he beelines it to the cottage nearly sprinting to avoid getting drenched by the rain.

"Ready to make a run for it?" Stiles asks grabbing Derek's hand who shrugs his shoulders.

"I'm already drenched right down to my socks so it won't make much of a difference." Derek replies and Stiles laughs but nods.

"Ace. Go to bed." Stiles instructs pointing to the end of the veranda and without hesitation the dog stands up and walks down the veranda before disappearing around the corner towards her kennel.

 "Let's go before the rain gets heavier." Derek says holding his hand out and Stiles smiles with a nod taking his hand before the two of them begin to run towards the hut.

 

-

 

*** the next morning ***

"Well that explains why I thought I heard car noises last night." Boyd replies after Scott finishes telling him and Parrish about what happened last night.

"You heard the noises... yet you didn't even look out your window or something to make sure there isn't oh I don't know, a murder outside?" Scott questions and Boyd shrugs his shoulders shoving eggs and bacon into his mouth.

"Boyd won't get up in the middle of the night if one of us needs to be taken to the hospital, do you really think he would get up after hearing car noises?" Parrish asks cutting the bacon on his plate into small pieces.

"Hey! If one of you were dying then I would maybe consider it." Boyd responds and the three of them crack up laughing as the front door to the cottage opens.

"Morning." Derek calls shaking his head trying to get the water out his hair from the rain as he walks into the dining room joining the farmhands.

"Derek, it's like 7:30 in the morning. Didn't the Sheriff say you and Stiles can sleep in?" Parrish asks wondering why on earth the other man is awake let alone ready to start a days work.

"Yeah, he did but I'm not tired so there wasn't much point." Derek simply replies and Scott gives him a sympathetic look. He knows the real reason is most likely because Derek can't sleep and by the darkness around his eyes, Scott was pretty sure he's right.

"That's only like four hours of sleep." Boyd responds in a shocked voice and Derek shrugs as he takes his jacket off hanging it over his usual chair. 

"Well lucky I made extra. Eggs and bacon?" Parrish asks as he begins to stand up.

"Thanks but I can get it, sit down and eat your breakfast before it goes cold." Derek replies and Parrish nods sitting back down.

After ten minutes they were outside getting into the days work. Scott and Boyd were working together cleaning out the gutters since they were overflowing from the rain. Leaving Derek and Parrish to do small jobs like checking and feeding the cattle while they wait for Isaac to arrive with a truck load of barley seeds.

"You excited for your first Christmas at the Stilinski farm? Wait didn't you arrive here like a week after Christmas? That means you have been here for a year! Man time has flown." Parrish comments putting his ute into gear as they drive towards the pasture paddock.

"Yeah, its been nearly a year. Probably one of the best years I've had in a long time." Derek admits looking out his window as raindrops fall against it.

"How long has it been since you've celebrated Christmas?" Parrish asks as he swerves to the right dodging the pot hole full of water.

"Haven't since the fire so that's like six years ago." Derek answers and Parrish glances over at him in shock.

"Shit, I'm sorry." Parrish quickly apologises and Derek shakes his head.

"It's fine. I'm actually really looking forward to having Christmas with you guys. Do you all stay here for Christmas or do you go separate ways during Christmas?" Derek asks looking over at Parrish.

 "Nah we all stay together at Christmas. The whole gang. Scott, Melissa, Allison, Chris, Isaac, Boyd, Erica, Stiles, the Sheriff, Lydia and I. Lydia's Mum use to join us as well but she moved into a city to work at some high end college." Parrish explains and Derek nods knowing that Lydia wouldn't be the kind of person to leave her friends to live in the big city. "We all take in turns hosting Christmas. Rotating between Chris Argent's place, him and Allison live on the edge of town and own a large property since they run their truck transporting company there too. Anyway, it goes from his house to Melissa McCalls and then here at the farm. Last year it was at Argents so in three weeks we'll all be at Melissa's for Christmas." Parrish explains as he pulls up in front of the gate to the paddock as Derek climbs out the passenger side to open the gate.

"Sounds perfect to me." Derek responds climbing back into the car looking down at his flannel which is drenched right through. "Man this rain is getting heavier and heavier."

"You're not wrong. The windscreen wipers can barely keep up." Parrish replies putting the gear stick into first before taking off towards the cattle feeder and trough on the other side of the paddock.

"Hopefully it'll calm down by the time Isaac gets here otherwise it'll make unloading the seeds into our truck very difficult." Derek says and Parrish nods with agreement.

 

***4 hours later***

 

"Afternoon, Lahey." Parrish calls climbing out the Stilinski's small truck as Isaac climbs out the Argents semi-truck already greeting Derek.

"So I'm assuming we're tipping the grain into the air seeder and the left over in the back of your truck?" Isaac asks looking between Derek and Parrish and they both nod.

"I'll go wake Stiles up. Will you guys be alright unloading the barely?" Derek asks taking his hat off to run his fingers through his wet hair.

"Yeah of course. We'll call Scott and Boyd to come help soon before the rain starts to get heavier again." Isaac answers and Derek nods before jogging back towards the farm house.

"Anyone awake?" Derek calls opening the front door after taking his muddy boots off. He takes a few steps inside taking off his drenched flannel shirt and hanging it on the rack in the hallway leaving him in his black tank top.

"Is that you Derek?" The Sheriff's voice calls as Derek makes his way towards the kitchen towards the voice.

"Good morning Sheriff. How's the shoulder?" Derek asks walking over towards the bench gesturing towards the table for the Sheriff to sit.

With a sigh the Sheriff walks away from the bench taking a seat at the table, letting Derek make him a coffee.

"Sore at the moment but nothing a few painkillers can't fix." The Sheriff replies and Derek nods turning back to bench as he finishes making the coffee.

"Two sugars?" Derek asks just to be sure even though he's almost positive that's what the Sheriff has.

"Yes, thanks." The Sheriff answers and Derek nods again before placing the mug of coffee on the table in front of him. "I don't think I had a chance to say this properly last night but thank you for driving Stiles to the hospital and for bringing my cruiser home."

"That was no problem. I'm just glad you are okay." Derek responds as he puts a couple pieces of toast in the toaster for the Sheriff.

"Stiles told me about the group of guys outside the hospital." The Sheriff begins to say and Derek closes his eyes, dropping his head preparing himself for the Sheriff to lecture him for putting Stiles in a dangerous situation.

"Look, sir I know what you're going to say but the guys came at us and started shouting homophobic remarks at us. I know I shouldn't have shouted back at them but I could not just walk away after they say shit like that to Stiles." Derek explains shaking his head and the Sheriff laughs softly.

"Derek. Relax, alright. I was going to say thank you for standing up for Stiles and not letting those bastards get away with saying what they did. Stiles told me that the bigger guy came at him but you stopped him, so thank you." The Sheriff responds and Derek turns around to face him not expecting that kind of answer. "Did you really think I would have went off at you for standing up for yourself and my son and then taking on two of the guys so Stiles only had to deal with one?"

"Maybe." Derek says softly walking to the pantry to grab the honey which Derek knows is what the Sheriff has on his toast most mornings.

The older man sighs shaking his head. "Just thank you for sticking up for Stiles." The Sheriff responds and Derek nods placing the plate of toast on the table in front of the older man.

"You didn't have to do all this, thank you." The Sheriff says and Derek gives him a soft smile with a nod.

"I gotta go wake Stiles up, Isaac is here with the barley. Let me know if you need anything, take it easy Sheriff." Derek says and it was the Sheriff who nods this time with a smile as Derek walks out the room towards Stiles' room.

"Stiles? Are you awake?" Derek calls as he knocks softly on his door but he doesn't get a response.

He opens the door slowly and finds Stiles still asleep, half in and half out of his blankets. Derek smiles at sight watching Stiles for a few minutes before walking over to his bed to wake him up.

"Wake up sleepy head." Derek says shaking Stiles' shoulders softly and Stiles groans in response pulling him blankets up higher. "Baby, its time to get up." Derek whispers as he sits down next to Stiles' lying form. 

"I went to sleep at four, I'm allowed to sleep in." Stiles mumbles half asleep and Derek rolls his eyes.

"Yes but it's now one in the afternoon. You've been sleeping for nine hours, so it's time to get your butt out of bed because Isaac is here and you need to sign the paper work." Derek explains as he runs his fingers through Stiles' hair. 

"Can't we just stay like this for a few more minutes?" Stiles begs and Derek sighs but nods then realises Stiles can't see him with his eyes closed.

"Two minutes." Derek replies leaning down and kissing Stiles on the forehead before moving slightly so he was half lying down next to Stiles propt up on his elbow.

"You're so beautiful." Derek comments softly rubbing circles with his thumb over Stiles' forearm. 

"You must be blind then." Stiles mumbles moving his body closer to Derek as Derek wraps his arms around Stiles.

"Shut up, you're beautiful." Derek replies kissing him softly on the lips when a trucks horn fills the air and Stiles groans.

"Guessing that's Isaac trying to tell you to hurry up." Derek says with a slight grin as he stands up opening the bedroom curtains trying not to laugh as Stiles covers his face with the pillow.

After ten minutes Derek finally managed to get Stiles up and outside.

"When do you guys want that load of oat seeds?" Isaac asks watching as Stiles signs the paper for the barley seeds which Parrish and Boyd have loaded.

"This time next week?" Stiles asks glancing over at the curly haired boy who nods in agreement.

"When you see Melissa next can you ask her what she wants me to bring to Christmas this year?" Isaac asks and Stiles nods handing back the paper.

"I've been meaning to call her myself to ask what we need to bring to Christmas since it's only a few weeks away. I'll ask for you as well and then send you text." Stiles replies and Isaac says his thanks before taking off in the truck, apparently Chris needs him to do one more transport today.

 

-

 

The next two weeks go by in a flash. Parrish has finished seeding two paddocks of barley and oats. Scott and Boyd made a trip to the local Christmas tree place a few hours out of Beacon Hills. They bought a new Christmas tree which the Sheriff calls ridiculous since they had to cut it smaller to fit in the house.

The farmhands, Stiles, Derek and the Sheriff were currently all spread out in the lounge room of the farm house putting up various decorations around the room and on the tree. Even Ace was trying to help by dragging tinsel everywhere but nobody had the heart to tell her off since it was too cute. Until she started running around the lounge room with small Christmas lights hanging from her mouth.

"No! Put it down." Stiles quickly shouts not wanting her to get electrocuted or to brake the lights but the dog doesn't listen. Scott quickly turns the power point off and unplugs it from the wall while he tries to contain his laughter.

"Ace! Drop it." Derek orders in a stern tone and within a second the dog drops the lights and walks over to her basket in the corner of the room.

"Well I guess she knows who the alpha is." Boyd comments before continuing to place ornaments on the tree.


	26. Chapter 26

They all ate tea together, something the six of them haven't done in a while. The Sheriff made his famous steak sandwiches and they all ate in the lounge room after convincing the Sheriff they wanted to eat and admire they're hard work with Christmas decorations.

It was getting close to 10pm when Stiles put on Netflix and the majority vote to watch the newest Fast and Furious movie.

"Alright, dream cars. Everyone has to answer." Scott suddenly says and everyone nods in agreement as they all begin thinking of an answer.

"Definitely a '67 Chevy Impala and it has to be black." Stiles replies almost instantly and everyone rolls their eyes knowing exactly why Stiles chose that car... he really spends too much time watching Supernatural.

Derek smiles lifting his arm over Stiles' shoulder pulling him closer. He kisses him on the forehead as the cuddle on the couch.

"I would have to say a Dodge Charger, any year between 1969 to 1972. My parents had one before I was born but had to sell it for money." Parrish answers and every nods agreeing, it's a great car.

"Well I'm sticking to a ute and saying the Ford Velociraptor in a dark blue." The Sheriff answers and Derek looks over impressed with his answer.

"Definitely some sort of Mustang GT, I don't care what make or what colour, just not bright yellow." Boyd answers and Scott nods.

"I'm with Boyd. You can't beat the good old Mustang." Scott responds as he takes a drink of his Pepsi.

"What about you Derek?" Stiles asks looking up at his boyfriend who smiles slightly.

"A black '09 Chevy Camaro." Derek simply answers and everyone looks over at him wanting more detail and Derek sighs before continuing. "My older sister had one and I would constantly take it for a drive whenever she wasn't looking."

"Wait. How did your sister afford a Camaro? We're you guys rich?" Parrish asks and Derek shakes his head with a laugh.

"No. Laura would hand raise any animal on the farm who's mother abandoned it, she hand raised cows, horses, pigs and birds. Then she would sell them as pets for money, I guess it added up over the years." Derek says with a shrug and Stiles smiles leaning his head on Derek's shoulder. He's happy Derek is slowly opening up to the guys, telling them stories about his past and his family, it's a good sign and he seems to be sleeping better at night too.

"You use to live on a farm outside Beacon Valley didn't you?" Boyd asks curiously and Derek nods before Boyd continues. "Did the town have Christmas Eve parades? Like with home made floats that drive down the main road and stalls of food and drinks for sale on the side of the road?"

"Yeah they did, they even had a 'santa' there for the children of the town. We use to go every year with friends and family." Derek answers with a smile.

"Well this year you get to go to the Beacon Hills Christmas Eve parade with us. You'll like it, the atmosphere is incredible, you'll just have to deal with these guys plus the rest of the gang." The Sheriff says and Derek couldn't hide his smile.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He simply replies and everyone smiles before they all begin bickering about wanting dessert.

"We haven't been food shopping for a fortnight, good luck finding something to eat." Stiles responds causing Scott, Boyd and Parrish to shut up not sure what to do now, until Scott breaks the silence.

"Derek! You're a great cook, surely you'll be able to find something or make something? We'll even do the dishes for you." Scott says and Stiles rolls his eyes knowing his best friend is desperate if he's willing to do the dishes.

"Only if Stiles is my assistant." Derek responds raising his eyebrows at his boyfriend who's still curled up against his side.

"Done deal! Let's get cooking Sourwolf." Stiles replies jumping up off the couch not even waiting for Derek to get up.

 

-

 

"I forgot how much I hate cooking." Stiles mutters as he fills the measuring jug too high full of milk causing Derek to laugh.

"Leave the milk, I'll do it in a minute. Come here." Derek says and Stiles nods walking over to Derek who puts the hand held electric mixer in Stiles' hand.

"I am almost certain that this won't end well." Stiles comments and Derek rolls his eyes as he stands behind Stiles. He puts his hands around Stiles' body resting his fingers over Stiles' helping him hold the mixer correctly as he rests his chin on Stiles' shoulder. 

"I'll help, now turn the mixer on." Derek says softly and Stiles does as he says and they begin mixing the different flours together.

After a few minutes Derek takes his hands off ignoring Stiles' slight moan of protest as Derek walks over to the milk and re-measures it before cracking two eggs into the milk. He glances over at Stiles who he could tell was trying his hardest to concentrate on his task. Derek smiles as he whisks the milk and eggs together before gently pouring it into the flour mixture followed by a few spoons of butter as Stiles continues to mix it.

"You can turn the mixer up to the next level if you want, it'll help get rid of the lumps of butter." Derek says as he finds an oven tray that seems like a good size to cook chocolate brownies in. He begins lining the tray with baking paper when he hears the electric mixer beat faster. Before Derek could even register it was beating too fast, flour gets sprayed everywhere as Stiles frantically reaches for the button to turn it off.

"I hate to say I told you so. But I told you so. This was a bad idea." Stiles states turning to Derek who snorts looking at Stiles who had flour over his face and hands. "Oh you think this is funny?"

"Nope. I didn't say a thing." Derek quickly responds shaking his head and Stiles just grins grabbing a handful of flour and throwing at Derek who was stupid enough to take a few steps towards him.

"Don't start a war you can't win, Stilinski." Derek warns as he coughs waving away the flour dust in the air ignoring the flour on his now dirty flannel.

"You are so on, Hale!" Stiles responds with a grin turning around to get more flour or something for ammunition against Derek. Suddenly he felt Derek's hand on his shoulder and he knew he was well and truly fucked. 

Derek turns him around with one hand before cupping his face and kissing him fiercely and Stiles moans half in delight and half in surprise. He puts his hands around Derek's neck pulling him closer when out of no where Derek rubs a handful of flour into Stiles' hair with his free hand.

Stiles quickly pulls away putting his hands in his hair feeling the familiar touch of flour as he tries and fails to give Derek a glare. It doesn't last long before he's back on Derek pushing him up against the cupboards kissing him passionately.

They lose track of time by the time the two of them stop, trying to catch their breath but unable to hide their smiles.

"I'll fix this mess. You go have a shower, you look like you're covered in flour for some reason." Derek says with a grin and Stiles rolls his eyes.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Stiles responds giving Derek a quick kiss before disappearing off through the hallway. 

 

-

 

"When are the brownies ready to eat?" Scott asks as he lays down further in the arm chair looking over at Derek and Stiles waiting for an answer.

"Five minutes, Derek says they need to cool down slightly." Stiles answers shaking his wet hair at Derek who growls slightly before pulling Stiles into him so they were both sitting side by side on the couch.

"You said that five minutes ago." The Sheriff adds and Stiles laughs shaking his head.

"Brownies are unhealthy, you are only getting one old man." Stiles replies with a grin and his father raises his eyebrows at him.

"Then I will accidentally forget to pay you for this weeks work." The Sheriff responds folding his arms over his chest as he focuses back on the tv in front of them.

"That's cold." Stiles mutters and his father shrugs as everyone laughs before focusing back on the tv as they watch one of car chase scenes in Fast and Furious 4.

 

-

 

***2 days before Christmas***

 

"Yes, Boyd I know we're helping set up decorations for the Christmas parade. Relax the parade isn't until tomorrow we have plenty of time to help set up decorations down the street for Mayor Finstock. I'm just closing up the bar now." Erica says into her phone as she finishes wiping down the last table in her bar. "I will see you in half an hour down the Main Street. I love you too." Erica says as she hangs up the phone putting it in her pocket as she flips the sign on the front door to closed.

She grabs the last of the glass bottles on the bench placing them into the dishwasher when the front door to the bar bursts open. She jumps slightly as the door slams against the wall, can this person not read a bloody closed sign?

"We're closed." Erica states turning the dishwasher on before glancing up towards the door to find two fairly tall and muscular men walking into the room.

"We need to ask you a question." The man with two sleeves of tattoos says as the two of them walk towards the front of the bar.

"Who the hell are you?" Erica asks folding her arms over her chest as she watches the two men carefully. She has never seen them before and she knows everyone in town.

"We're from the Beacon County Sheriff's Department." The same man responds and Erica gives them an unamused glare.

"No you're not. I'm friends with the Sheriff. Now cut the shit and get out my bar." Erica simply says pointing towards the door but neither of them men move.

"Okay you caught us. But we're here to look for a missing person, we've asked a couple local businesses and figured the local bar would be a good place to ask as well." The other man responds and Erica nods slowly waiting for them to continue.

"Does the name Derek Hale sound familiar to you?" The tattooed man suddenly asks getting straight to the point and Erica's blood runs cold. These guys are after Derek... which means they are most likely working with Kate Argent. Which means this is one hell of a coincidence that they are in Beacon Hills or Kate knows Derek is here somewhere.

"No, it doesn't." Erica replies casually, keeping a straight face as the two of them eye her carefully obviously trying to tell if she's lying or not.

"Maybe a photo will jog your memory." The tattooed guy responds nodding to his friend who pulls out a photograph from his jacket and holds it in front of her. It was definitely a photo of Derek. Not the best quality and if Erica was to guess it looked like a screenshot from some sort of security camera.

"Sorry I haven't seen this man before." Erica responds looking away from the photo towards the tattooed guy who now has his arms crossed.

"You wouldn't be lying to us would you? Because the lovely twins from the mechanic shop across the road said that they have seen his face around town before." The man responds and Erica shrugs.

"Well he doesn't look familiar at all. Now get out of my bar, I have jobs to do." Erica replies sternly and the guys nod before turning around and walking towards the door. Erica watches them until they shut the door behind themselves and she quickly runs to the door locking it behind them as she spots two black vans speed off.

She leans her back against the door with a sigh as she quickly grabs her phone out her pocket. She takes a deep breath trying to calm herself as she pulls up the gangs group chat. She quickly adds Melissa, Chris and the Sheriff into the chat before she frantically starts typing to give everyone a heads up and to tell them what just happened.

After not even a minute her phone lights up with an incoming call from Stiles and she doesn't hesitate before answering the call.

"Was Kate with the two guys? Do you know who the guys were? How'd they know Dereks near Beacon Hills? Where did they get a photo of Derek from?" Stiles quickly questions without taking a breath.

"Stiles. Breath. I don't know who they were but I'm pretty sure they work for Kate but I didn't see her, I don't think she's here. Maybe she sent them here to check the town out? I don't know but the photo of Derek looked to be from some sort of security camera, the background sorta looked like he was in a bar and he was actually smiling." Erica explains and she hears Stiles mutter something to someone in the background who she's assuming was Derek.

"The photo is from the day Kate found him and his sister four years after the fire." Stiles replies sadly. "As long as these guys don't stick around it should be okay, they would have definitely been sent by Kate but if they report back to her with no information she should move to the next town."

"That's what I was thinking, I'm gonna go around to shops in town and tell the managers to say they have never seen or heard of Derek before." Erica says.

"How are you gonna get them to do that?" Stiles asks and Erica laughs softly.

"I can be very persuasive and most of the store managers around town are guys, all I gotta do is show a bit of cleavage and they'll do whatever I say." Erica answers truthfully and Stiles actually laughs on the other end which Erica will call as a win considering he is probably freaking out right now.

"Keep us posted if you see or hear from the guys again and turn your notifications on and up loud for our group chat." Stiles instructs and Erica hums in agreement as they say their goodbyes before hanging up.

 

-

 

"Would there be any reason why Kate would send two guys to Beacon Hills to try find you?" Stiles asks sitting down at the kitchen table while Parrish and Derek cook tea together in the farm house. His father was at work but strictly on office duty's only since his shoulder was still healing. Boyd was in town with Erica to help set up the Main Street for the Christmas parade whereas Scott was spending the night at Allison's.

"No." Derek responds shaking his head as he turns back to the meat he's cooking in the saucepan.

"It could just be a freaky coincidence. Maybe she's been sending her workers around to every town asking if anyone has seen or heard of you? I mean if she's been doing that for the past year she was bound to come across Beacon Hills eventually." Parrish replies and Stiles nods running his hands through his hair nervously.

"Why am I the only one freaking out about this?" Stiles questions and Derek sighs.

"Because I've spent the past six years waiting for the day that Kate finally catches up to me and finds me." Derek answers sitting down at the table next to Stiles as Parrish takes over the meat.

"Stiles? Derek?" The Sheriff's voice shouts from the front door.

"In the kitchen." Stiles shouts back looking towards the door as his father appears with an anxious expression.

"Are you alright Derek?" The Sheriff asks looking over at Derek who just nods and the Sheriff gives him a sad smile.

"I spoke to Erica after reading her message and got her security footage from the bar to get images of the two guys. It took some digging but the two guys who came into the bar definitely work for Gerard and Kate Argent. They are listed as their top truck drivers for interstate transport-" The Sheriff begins to explain before Stiles cuts him off.

"Interstate transport? In other words smuggling silver over the boarder for money." Stiles comments bitterly and the Sheriff nods.

"That's not the worst part." The Sheriff says and Stiles sighs, of course it's not the worst part.

"They have a bad record don't they?" Parrish asks and the Sheriff nods.

"They have both been done for robbery, car stealing and..." The Sheriff answers stopping himself unable to say the last thing.

"And what?" Derek suddenly asks in an impatient tone.

"Murder." The Sheriff admits and Stiles and Parrish's eyes go wide with shock while Derek laughs slightly shaking his head.

"How are they not in jail?" Stiles shouts looking over at his Dad who takes a seat at the table.

"Because Kate and Gerard have people on the inside!" Derek responds in a fairly loud voice as he rubs his face with his hands thinking that all this must be a dream.

"What are we gonna do if Kate's men tell her they think Derek might be in town and then Kate comes to Beacon Hills?" Stiles asks looking back and forth between the three other men around him.

"That's assuming she isn't already here." The Sheriff comments and Stiles groans.

"Way to be optimistic, Dad." Stiles mutters and the Sheriff just shrugs his shoulders.

"Maybe she doesn't want to kill Derek? Maybe she just wants to make sure he doesn't have any footage his mother took of them smuggling silver in the trucks." Parrish suggested and Derek shakes his head.

"She could have just asked my mother to get rid of all the evidence or she could have just gotten rid of the evidence herself and not hurt anybody but she didn't. She burnt my house and my family alive in case my mother made copies of the footage and hid them. Then she spends the following four years hunting down Laura and I in case we had some of the footage too. When she finally caught up to us she walked straight into the crowded bar that we were sitting in and put a knife to my throat as her tattooed worker shot Laura at point blank when she tried to help me." Derek explains looking down at the table not wanting to look at the others, when he feels Stiles' hand on his arm for comfort. "If she gets even the slightest feeling that I'm in Beacon Hills she won't stop until I am dead."

"Shit." Parrish mutters looking at Derek sympathetically, wondering just how many curveballs life can throw at the poor guy in a lifetime.

"Alright, well you are not going into town until we are all 100% certain that Kate's men have left. We are not risking even the slightest chance of her finding out your in town." Stiles states looking over at Derek who nods giving Stiles a soft smile.

 

-

 

***Christmas Eve morning***

 

"I'm gonna go wash up. Are you alright to finish cooking breakfast?" Chris asks looking over at Scott who was standing in front of the stove.

"Yeah, of course." Scott replies focusing back on the pan, trying not to burn the scrambled eggs. "Allison! Breakfast is nearly ready." Scott shouts knowing his girlfriend is still up stairs trying to find something to wear for the day.

After a few minutes he turns the stove off thinking the eggs seem cooked enough when he hears Allison walking into the kitchen with a shit eating grin and Scott rolls his eyes.

"Don't get use to this. I can't cook if my life depended on it." Scott quickly says as he gives her a kiss.

"Well the eggs don't look horrible so I think you are ever so slowly improving." Allison teases wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, kissing his neck.

"Did you hear that?" Scott suddenly asks and she shakes her head. "It sounds like a car." He adds and Allison frowns, it's barely eight in the morning who would be visiting this early? She wonders thinking it could possibly be Isaac dropping off a truck but she shakes her head knowing he won't be back until late in the afternoon.

She lets go of Scott walking towards the kitchen window as she moves the curtain just enough to peep out of when she spots two black vans and a black sports car driving up their driveway.

"Shit. Erica said the guys who came to her bar were driving black vans." Allison mutters turning to Scott who had the same nervous expression. "Dad!" Allison shouts and within seconds Chris comes running into the room at the panicked tone in his daughters voice. "Who are they?" She asks pointing towards the window and without hesitation Chris marches towards the window and then goes quiet.

"Allison take Scott and go to your room. Now! Don't come out until I come and get you." Chris finally orders but Scott doesn't move. If it's who he thinks is outside right now he doesn't want Chris to be alone but Allison trusts her fathers word and grabs Scott's hand dragging him upstairs.

They both run into Allison's room and Scott shuts the door behind them as Allison quietly opens her bedroom window. She puts her finger over her lips and Scott nods making his way over to her. They both sit down by the window watching and listening as the cars come to a stop.

The doors on the vans open first and four men take a step out but none of them walk any further. They just stand by the vans looking at the black sports car.

Allison gasps putting her hands over her mouth as a blonde woman steps out the car. Allison instantly knew that must be Kate and fuck her proper title of calling her Aunty.

"What the hell are you doing here Kate? We had a deal that I could leave and none of you come after me." Chris' voice shouts as the front door to the house opens.

"Chris! Good to see you." Kate responds in a chirpy voice as she walks towards her brother.

"Why are you here?" Chris asks again folding his arms over his chest causing Kate to stop in her tracks with a confused look.

"We're family. I'm your sister... are you really not happy about me being here." She asks and Chris rolls his eyes.

"Not after all the shit you and Gerard have done. I'm not going to be apart of that ever again. Now why are you here?" Chris questions in a stern voice not taking his eyes off Kate.

"Gerard's dead. Cancer took his life a week ago." Kate finally answers and Chris just nods not saying a word. He doesn't give a shit whether or not his father is dead. What did the man ever do for him? Teach him how to break the law? Teach him how to smuggle silver with cattle to get money? Teach him how to burn a fucking house down with a family inside?!

"You drove all this way to simply tell me that Gerard is dead?" Chris asks and Kate nods. "Bullshit. You know full well that I don't care, why are you really here?"

"I was hoping things might be able to change between us and that we could work together again. Nice company by the way." Kate says looking towards the two large sheds full of trucks.

"That is never going to happen." Chris replies shaking his head. "Now get the hell off my property and out of Beacon Hills. We had a deal that you'd let me walk away and to never be bothered by you again."

"Actually we never had a deal. You and Gerard had a deal, but since he's now dead I think it no longer applies." Kate says with a grin placing her hands on her hips. "I want to see Allison, I haven't seen her since she was a little girl. What is she now? 19? 20?"

"You are not going anywhere near my daughter!" Chris shouts and Kate just laughs shaking her head.

"Allison, honey? Are you in there?" Kate calls looking past Chris through the front door.

"Leave. Now." Chris orders grabbing his shotgun from behind the front door and pointing it towards Kate. Suddenly the four men near the van pull out pistols aiming at Chris.

"Relax." Kate says holding her hand out as her men lower their guns. "I might just hang around town for the Christmas Eve parade. Surely this town has a parade, I might see you and Allison there." She says turning away and nodding towards her men as they climb back into the cars and take off back down the driveway.

"Holy shit." Scott mutters sitting down with his back against the wall with wide eyes.

"She cannot find out about Derek being here." Allison comments and Scott nods in agreement when Chris walks into the room no longer holding the gun.

"You guys heard all that?" He asks motioning towards the open window and they both nod. "Scott what time does the Sheriff finish work today?"

"He should have finished an hour ago." Scott replies checking the time on his phone and Chris nods pulling out his own phone.

"We need to call him." Chris says dialling the Sheriff's number as he sits on the end of Allison's bed putting the phone on speaker.

 

-

 

"It's Chris Argent." The Sheriff's states looking over at Stiles, Derek and Parrish who were spread out on the lounge room couch. "Hello?" John says into the phone before motioning at Stiles to mute the volume on the tv as he puts the phone on speaker. "You're on speaker now, Stiles, Derek and Parrish are in the room."

"I had an unwanted visitor a few minutes ago." Chris responds and Derek closes his eyes, hoping beyond all hope that this visitor isn't someone with the last name Argent.

"The guys from the bar?" Stiles asks leaning closer to the phone.

"Yes. Plus my sister Kate." Chris replies.

"Did she say how long she was planning to stay in Beacon Hills?" Derek asks in a calm voice but Stiles can feel him trembling beside him and he tightens his hold around Derek for support.

 

"She said she was going to hang around for the parade but didn't say anything else. I don't think she'll be here for too long, she didn't even mention you or anything." Chris says and Derek nods not bothering to reply.

"Did she have the two men from the bar with her?" The Sheriff asks after a few seconds of silence.

"She had four men with her in two black vans... shit. Derek I'm so sorry but I'm pretty sure Kate is driving around in your sisters black Camaro. She must have taken it from your property after I left, I had no idea she had it." Chris says through the phone and Derek leans back into the couch trying to calm himself as his hands form into fists by his side. She stole Laura's Camaro! That means she went back to his property after the fire and after it was no longer a crime scene to steal his sisters pride and joy! It's getting harder to breath, he can't breath.

Suddenly Stiles was kneeling down in front of him. His lips were moving but all Derek could hear was the blood rushing through his head. The thoughts of Kate in his sisters car fills his mind.

"Derek? Are you with us?" Stiles' voice suddenly asks in a worried tone. Derek shakes his head trying to get the thoughts out his mind as he takes in a few deep breaths. "Good. That's it, breath." Stiles says gently as he sits back on the couch next to him grabbing his hand as he rubs his thumb over the back of his hand smoothly.

The Sheriff watches Derek in concern before looking back down at his phone. "Derek definitely won't be going to the Christmas parade tonight then." He says into the phone and Chris makes a noise in agreement.

"But the rest of us should still go though, if none of us rock up then that will make things seem suspicious." Chris responds and the Sheriff nods.

"What? No. I'm not leaving Derek home by himself tonight." Stiles shouts tightening his grip on Derek's hand. "Kate will be at the parade, I know. Which means she won't be looking for Derek here. But I'm not leaving him alone, even though he won't admit it I know he is panicking about Kate." Stiles explains ignoring the bump he gets from Derek after saying the last part.

"If anyone asks we can say Stiles is home because he's not feeling well." Parrish suggests and Stiles silently thanks the former deputy for being on his side.

"Alright, fine. But someone needs to send a message out on the group chat ASAP to inform the others about everything that's just happened." The Sheriff instructs.

"I am typing as we speak." Allison's voice says through the phone.

"Derek, don't worry we will keep an eye on Kate and her men tonight and make sure they don't think anything suspicious." Scott's voice assures and Derek smiles slightly at Scott's words, the kid is always trying to help.

"Alright I guess it's done. Make sure you send that message soon and we'll all meet up at the parade at our usual spot in front of Lydia's store. We can all split up from there and cover every area down the Main Street to keep an eye on Kate." The Sheriff instructs before they all say their goodbyes and end the call.


	27. Chapter 27

***5pm Christmas Eve***

"How much alcohol would we need to pack for everyone tonight?" Erica asks as she starts putting bottles of beer into the cooler.

"Don't forget to pack some lemonade or Pepsi for Stiles, Scott and Isaac since there will be cops around the parade and they are still underage." Boyd responds as he pulls his phone out making sure he hasn't got any notifications when he notices he has one from the group chat a few hours ago. After reading the first sentence he gets Erica and they both read Allison's paragraph together.

"Fuck. I knew they were with this Kate lady!" Erica shouts as Boyd begins typing his reply.

"Can't Derek just enjoy one Christmas and be happy? Is that too much to ask for?!" Erica questions out load as she walks back behind the bar to continue packing the drinks since the parade starts in less than an hour.

Before Boyd has a chance to respond to Erica the front door of the bar gets slammed open. The two of them turn around quickly in surprise to find a blonde woman wearing a black leather jacket and tight denim jeans with black boots. She walks in followed by two men which Erica recognises as the men from yesterday.

"We're closed." Erica shouts trying to play it cool knowing that the blonde lady was definitely Kate Argent. Erica glances over at Boyd who stands by the pool table watching them carefully.

"And I need information." Kate responds as she continues walking before stopping right in front of the bar with her men behind her either side.

"And I need people who can actually read a fucking closed sign on my door." Erica bites back not taking any of Kate's shit. The woman is lucky Erica has to play it cool otherwise she would have punched her so many times for what she did to Derek's family.

"What do you want?" Boyd questions taking a few steps closer to Kate.

"I want to know if you have seen this man. His name is Derek Hale." Kate says holding up the same photo of Derek showing it to both Erica and Boyd. 

"I'm gonna tell you exactly what I told your little buddies over there. I have never seen him before. Now are you finished? I have to get ready for the parade." Erica replies but by the expression on Kate's face she was far from finished.

"Why are you lying to me?" Kate asks folding her arms as she stares at Erica. "Other locals my men have spoken to said that they have seen Derek around the area. Yet you say you have never seen him."

"He doesn't look familiar. New people come and go through the bar every day-" Erica begins explaining when suddenly Kate leans over the bar grabbing Erica by the collar of her shirt pulling the girl towards her.

"Hey!" Boyd shouts running towards Kate but before he could reach her, her two men grab him from either side and pin him against the wall.

"I'm gonna ask again. Does the name Derek Hale ring any bells?" Kate questions in Erica's ear as she pushes the side of Erica's face against the bar mat.

"If it did, I would have told you." Erica responds trying to fight against Kate's grip. 

"Now..." Kate begins to say trailing off as she catches sight of a certain photo pinned up on the wall behind Erica.

Tightening her grip on Erica's collar she walks around to her side of the bar. To get a closer look at the photo and Erica's heart sinks knowing exactly what photo she was looking at. It was the one they took at Melissa's birthday with all of them together in it.

"Bingo." Kate says with a grin as she takes the photo off the wall holding it in Erica's face. "Does this guy look familiar to you now?" Kate questions in a harsh tone as she points at Derek in the photo.

"Well now that you pointed it out. But that wall is full of photos of people who pass through town. How could have I possibly remembered his face and name out of them all?" Erica asks glancing at the photo wall not wanting to look at Kate who still had a tight grip on her.

"You all seem pretty close in this photo, almost as if you're all friends." Kate observes. "Your friend over there is even in it." Kate adds pointing towards Boyd in the photo.

Erica doesn't say anything to that, she just stares at the photo in shock since she completely forgot it was there.

"Oh my. Is this Allison Argent? Man she has grown up heaps from when I last saw her." Kate comments as she inspects the photo further. "Who's this man Derek has his arm around?" Kate asks and Erica shrugs her shoulders knowing if she gives away who Stiles is then they will find Derek.

"Tell me who he is or else my men will cut your friends head off." Kate threatens turning Erica to face Boyd who was now pinned to the wall with a knife to his throat.

"Don't hurt him!" Erica shouts as tears begin forming in her eyes and Kate laughs. 

"You're so pathetic. Who is he?" She questions pointing towards Stiles again.

"I've only seen him here once when he passed through town, on his way to the big city or something I can't remember. His name was weird, it was something like Mieczyalaw, I think that's how he pronounced it." Erica answers half truthfully hoping that the answer would be good enough for Kate.

"Good. Thank you for your cooperation." Kate says as she pushes Erica to the ground before nodding at her men as they walk out the bar, the photograph still in Kate's hand. 

"What a bitch." Erica mutters as Boyd rushes over to her helping her stand up. "I'm fine. Just got bruises around my neck from being strangled with the collar of my shirt." Erica responds in an angry tone as she rubs her neck.

"We need to call the Sheriff." Boyd states as he wraps his arm around Erica giving her a tight hug

"They would all be on their way to town by now. Send a message out on the group chat so Stiles and Derek can see and we can talk to everyone else when they get to town." Erica says and Boyd nods pulling his phone out of his pocket with his free hand and begins typing quickly. 

 

-

 

"Yes, dad we'll be fine." Stiles says into his phone as he leans against the door in the lounge room looking over at Derek who's sitting on the couch staring blankly at the wall in front of him. "Just make sure you guys keep an eye on Kate and her men and make sure she doesn't suspect Derek's still in town. Also talk to Melissa because we might have to host Christmas tomorrow because I'm not risking Kate seeing Derek when we go to Melissa's." Stiles adds.

"Don't worry, Derek and I are just gonna sit here and watch the live stream of New York's Christmas Eve parade until we most likely fall asleep from boredom." Stiles says into the phone winning a slight smile from Derek. "Love you too Dad. Don't forget Chris said her men have guns so just be careful." Stiles adds before hanging up.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Stiles asks putting his phone into his pocket and Derek shakes his head.

"Come here." Derek says holding his arm out and without hesitation Stiles walks over to him, sliding into Derek's hold.

"Why aren't you freaking out about Kate being here and looking for you? I mean after everything she has done... aren't you somewhat nervous?" Stiles asks and Derek sighs.

"I've been anticipating the day that Kate finally catches up to me. For nearly six years I have been waiting for the day to come. I've thought of every possible scenario, I've pictured every possible outcome over the years. Laura and I would stay up late at night sharing different scenarios because we both knew the day would eventually come and there was no point hoping or pretending that it won't." Derek explains and Stiles' heart breaks hearing that.

"We'll think of something, alright? Because I won't let Kate kill you." Stiles replies and Derek nods squeezing Stiles softly as they both face the tv.

 

-

 

"Where's Isaac?" The Sheriff asks as him and Parrish walk into Lydia's shop where Melissa, Scott, Allison, Chris, Erica, Boyd and Lydia were standing waiting for them.

"He should be here within the hour, he's still out on a job with the truck." Chris answers and the Sheriff nods.

"Are we all clear on the plan for tonight?" He asks looking around at the group.

"We split off in partners and spread out around the Main Street. We have our phones off silent because we'll keep each other posted through the group chat and make sure someone has an eye on Kate the whole time." Lydia responds and they all nod in agreement. 

"Alright lets go. Scott and I will cover the area near the food stalls. Erica and Boyd can cover the area near the bar. Lydia and Parrish you guys cover the general area around the Martin's shop. Melissa and the Sheriff can be around the West side of the parade while Dad can keep an eye on the East and when Isaac gets here he'll join you." Allison instructs and with that they all split off and head towards their general area.

"Can't we just kill Kate and then everything is over with." Parrish mutters as him and Lydia begin walking around the road in front of the shop.

"Remember what Derek said? Kate has heaps of people working for her, even people working in the police force. Which means if we kill her then her workers will no doubt hunt all of us down." Lydia replies and Parrish sighs taking his sunglasses off as the sun begins to set behind the buildings.

"I hate this." He mutters and Lydia laughs slightly with an agreeing nod when both their phones go off.

"Looks like the Sheriff and Melissa have their eyes on Kate. She's near the West car park apparently. They'll message us when she moves." Lydia says reading off her phone and Parrish nods as they both take a seat on one of the benches on the footpath waiting for the parade to begin.

 

***two hours later***

 

(On the group chat)

Sheriff: Does anyone have eyes on Kate?

 

Scott: I thought u were watching her near the carpark?

 

Sheriff: We lost sight of her when someone came up to us asking for help.

 

Parrish: I knew u shouldn't have worn your uniform.

 

Erica: Now is not the time Jordan. Where did u last see her?

 

Sheriff: Melissa said she saw her heading towards the food stalls.

 

Chris: Allison, Scott. Can you guys see her anywhere?

 

Scott: No sign of her but it's heaps crowded here.

 

Scott: Wait.

 

Scott: Kate and her men just walked into the town hall.

 

Sheriff: The hall should be locked. How'd she get in?

 

Allison: They smashed the door open...

 

Chris: Don't go inside, it's too risky. Keep watch from a distance and keep us posted.

 

-

 

***5 minutes later***

 

"They still haven't come out." Scott states picking at the fairy floss in his hand and Allison sighs.

"I think we should go in." Allison states standing up but Scott quickly grabs her hand.

"Are you sure that's the best idea? Your dad said it's too risky. Plus her men have guns!" Scott exclaims and Allison rolls her eyes taking her handbag off her shoulder pulling out a black object which quickly opens up into a crossbow.

"And I have a crossbow. Don't give me that look, dad taught me how to protect myself which means I don't go anywhere defenceless." Allison explains and Scott shakes his head with a smile.

"I love you so much right now." Scott mutters and Allison laughs as she puts the crossbow back into her handbag.

"C'mon." She says pulling him towards the hall. "Just keep your eyes open, I don't know why she wanted to come into here."

They weave through the crowd hand in hand as they finally make it to the hall. The door half broken in and the lights off making it nearly impossible to see inside.

"Do you know where the light switch is?" Allison whispers as they take a couple steps into the hall as he takes his phone out his back pocket turning the torch on.

"The switch is on this wall." Scott replies softly as he squeezes Allison's hand gently to get her attention as they start walking towards the East wall. "Got it." Scott whispers shining the light at the switch as he turns all the lights on.

"Umm Scott." Allison whispers harshly squeezing his hand tightly as he turns to face her only to find Kate and her four men standing behind them with their guns raised.

"It's been a long time Allison." Kate begins to say taking a few steps closer to them as she reaches forward brushing a piece of Allison's hair away from her eye.

Allison tenses but doesn't flinch away, keeping her eyes dead on Kate.

"Not long enough." She replies bitterly and Kate chuckles taking a step backwards looking her niece up and down with an approving nod.

"A tough girl, are we? You are definitely an Argent." Kate states glancing over at Scott who was still holding Allison's hand.

"Young love. Now that's cute, reminds me of the good old days." Kate says and Scott bites his tongue stopping himself from yelling that she doesn't know what love is, not after what she did to the Hales and more specifically Derek.

"Boys bring them over to the chairs and tie them up." Kate orders looking at her men. "Don't even try to fight back, if you do my men will shoot you both."

"It's okay." Scott whispers giving Allison's hand a final squeeze before the men split them apart. They drag them onto two plastic chairs in the middle of the room before tying their hands and feet to the arms and legs of the chairs.

"What the hell are you doing?" Allison yells trying to pull on the ropes which only results in cutting her skin and she winces looking down at the now raw red markings over her wrist.

"Aren't you guys related? Why are you tying us up?" Scott questions trying to play dumb as he looks down at his pocket spotting his phone half sticking out, but he knows he'd never be able to reach it.

"Kate. We found a crossbow." One of the men say pulling it out of Allison's handbag along with her phone.

"I knew Chris was planning something. He was never a very good liar when we were kids." Kate states taking the phone as she tries to unlock it. "What's your password?"

"Go to hell." Allison states angrily staring at Kate who nods to one of her men when suddenly they hold a knife to Scott's neck.

"Let's try this again. Tell me your password or else your little boyfriend here won't be breathing much longer." Kate threatens motioning towards Scott.

"No! Don't hurt him!" Allison shouts, tears welling up in her eyes as she looks at Scott who's eyes are wide with fear. "The password is 72688."

"Good, now you are going to call Chris and tell him to-" Kate begins to say as she unlocks the phone expecting to be taken to the home page but instead it's opened on some sort of group chat. "What the hell is this?" She questions softly as she scrolls up slowly reading the messages. 

After a few minutes she finally looks up from the phone with a surprised yet happy look on her face.

"You guys fooled me. I thought it was just you guys, your father and that blonde curly haired kid who have been following and watching me but it turns out you guys have a whole crew!" Kate states as she pulls up a plastic chair taking a seat in front of Scott and Allison.

"What do you want from us?" Scott asks trying to take the attention away from Allison and her phone. 

"You know exactly what I want... Scott? Is that your name?" Kate asks and Scott nods reluctantly causing Kate to smile. "You both very well know that I'm after Derek, you can stop with the dumb act." Kate says as she begins typing on Allison's phone.

"You don't have to do this!" Scott yells knowing fairly well what Kate is typing on the group chat.

"You don't talk unless spoken to!" Kate shouts standing up from her chair as she punches Scott in the face.

"Okay!" Scott grunts angrily as he feels blood dripping from his nose. He glances over at Allison giving her a soft smile showing that he's okay but she shakes her head as a few tears fall down her face.

 

-

 

"Why is your gun out?" The Sheriff whispers as they all sneak around the back of the hall.

"Allison's message didn't sound like her." Chris answers as he pulls the slide back on his .44 Magnum Desert Eagle.

"Hell. You nervous makes me nervous." The Sheriff responds pulling out his own handgun flicking the safety off. "Please tell me you still own that pistol and have it with you, Parrish?"

"I don't leave the house without it, sir."

The former Deputy replies pulling out his semi-automatic pistol.

"Anyone ever tell you guys that you are slightly paranoid." Melissa asks causing Lydia and Erica to laugh softly.

"Let's hope its for nothing." Boyd whispers as they reach the back door noticing it's cracked open.

With silent head nods of reassurance Chris kicks the door open and they all walk inside as the lights suddenly turn on.

They all close their eyes at the sudden brightness before focusing on their surroundings spotting Allison and Scott tied to chairs in the middle of the room. To make matters worse they both have guns aimed at their heads with a grinning Kate standing next to them with her arms crossed.

"Shit." Isaac mutters taking a step back while Chris does the opposite and takes a step forward.

"I'm the Sheriff of Beacon Hills. Now put your weapons down!" John shouts cocking his gun aiming it at the man behind Scott while Chris and Parrish aim at the other three men.

"Let them go!" Chris yells gripping his gun tighter as he glances at Allison catching her eye. He knows there’s no way out of this. Three guns against four or possibly even more aimed at Scott and Allison.

"Drop your weapons and hands behind your head! Unless you want Allison and Scott to die." Kate blackmails pulling out a knife as she walks over to Allison, pressing it against her throat.

"NO!" Scott screams thrashing against the rope around his limbs. Watching helplessly as Kate presses the knife down harder just enough for a little bit of blood to trickle down Allison's neck.

"Okay!" Chris shouts placing his gun on the floor slowly as he puts his hands behind his head.

Without questioning Parrish and the Sheriff drop their guns while Erica, Boyd, Lydia, Isaac and Melissa slowly put their hands behind their heads.

"Good. Now all of you, walk over to these chairs and sit down so my men can restrain you. Any funny tricks and Ally here will get a bullet through the brain." Kate orders with a grin as the group all do as she says walking towards the row of chairs as her men begin tying rope around them.

"I don't have a good feeling about this." Erica mutters softly as she tries pulling at the rope testing how tight it is.

"Nobody has a good feeling about this!" Lydia whispers looking over at Erica who was sitting next to Boyd.

"Would you two shut up before you get us all killed." Isaac mutters softly watching as Kate places their guns on a table with some sort of crossbow.

"Now." Kate begins to say as she fiddles with a knife between her fingers turning to face the group of them. "I'm gonna assume you guys know basically everything since by the photo in the bar you kids looked pretty close. So let's skip the crap and just tell me where Derek is?"

"He isn't here. He left town a few weeks ago." The Sheriff answers watching Kate as she walks forward and back in front of them. 

"I don't believe that." Kate responds putting her hand on her chin as if she's trying to think as she locks eyes with Erica. "I knew you were lying to me earlier."

"Says the bitch who lied to Derek and killed his whole family!" Erica shouts angrily causing her a punch to the gut from Kate.

"Don't touch her!" Boyd yells yanking against the rope around his wrists and ankles.

"Just tell me where he is hiding and nobody else has to get hurt." Kate replies taking a step backwards glancing over at Allison and Scott who are sitting off to the side before looking back over at the others. "Where's your son, Sheriff? From my intel your son, Stiles, is apart of your little clique here. Where is he?"

"Somewhere down the street watching the parade. He's an adult, I don't keep track of him." The Sheriff simply responds and Kate sighs shaking her head.

"That was a test and you just failed." Kate responds holding up Allison's phone as she pulls up their group chat. "I know your son is at home because he's 'sick'. Now correct me if I'm wrong but I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark and say you lied to me because Derek is hiding out at your house." Kate says and everyone's freezes staring at her with wide eyes as she chuckles knowing she is right.

"You two. Stay here and make sure none of them escape, use lethal force if they try anything stupid." Kate orders as she turns to the other two men. "You two are with me. Let's go ask locals where the Sheriff lives and then we'll finally put an end to this man hunt."

"Wait! Kate! You don't have to do this. Please, Derek is a good guy. He doesn't deserve this. You use to love him! Doesn't that count for anything?" Chris yells desperately causing her to turn around to face him.

"I never loved him. He was just useful." Kate says with a shrug of her shoulders while Chris just stares at her with a shocked expression as she turns to walk away.

"No! You don't have to do this." Melissa shouts watching in horror as Kate walks towards the door.

"Kate! Don't! There's gotta be a better way to deal with this." Scott shouts and Kate just shakes her head in response.

"No!" Everyone screams desperately watching as Kate disappears through the door. Leaving them all sitting there breathless from trying to rip through the rope while Kate's two men stand near the wall on watch.


	28. Chapter 28

"Babe are you asleep?" Stiles asks softly looking down at Derek's head which is currently resting on Stiles' lap. He smiles to himself happy that Derek is finally getting some much needed rest. He notices Ace is sleeping in as well, as she lays spread out in the middle of the lounge room floor.

He focuses back on the tv flicking channels hoping there's a good movie on somewhere but with no luck. He decides on some cooking show not even paying attention to it. He sits there on his phone taking a few photos of Derek fast asleep knowing if he saw he'd make Stiles delete them but he couldn't resist.

He grins happily looking back at the photos when his phone suddenly starts to ring. He quickly turns it on silent as he slowly gets up off the couch, moving Derek's head gently onto a pillow.

"Hello, this is Stiles." He says into the phone once he reaches the kitchen realising he never read the name before answering it.

"Stiles. It's Jackson." Jackson responds and it takes a couple seconds for Stiles to process the fact that Jackson fucking Whittmore is calling him.

"Jackson? You never call me... why are you calling me?" Stiles questions dumbly because honestly he's lost for words.

"Ethan made me do it. Anyway some lady was walking around asking where you guys live, she came up to us and asked too." Jackson answers and Stiles heartbeat suddenly sky rockets.

"You didn't tell her-"

"No. It's not my place to tell but Ethan's pretty sure he heard others telling her. Just a heads up, I've never seen this chick before and it seemed sketchy." Jackson explains and Stiles has to grab the edge of the bench to keep himself standing as his legs turn to jelly.

"Thanks Jackson." Stiles quickly replies hanging up the phone as he sprints into the lounge room tripping over the rug on the floor only just managing to keep his balance.

"Stiles, what the-" Derek mumbles sitting up at the sudden noise as Stiles cuts him off.

"We need to get you the hell out of here right now, we need to go!" Stiles states and Derek sits up straighter at the panicked tone in his boyfriends voice.

"What's going on?" Derek asks grabbing Stiles' hand to stop him from shaking.

"Kate is coming! She was asking people where the Sheriff lived! She knows you're here." Stiles quickly explains pulling Derek up off the couch as the two of them quickly scramble to put their boots on.

"Where's your Jeep?" Derek questions panic starting to rise in his voice as the two of them run outside.

"The Jeep? It's headlights are broken! And in case you haven't noticed it's 9 o'clock at night and it's dark outside." Stiles responds harshly immediately regretting talking to Derek like that.

"Everyone else took their vehicles into town! It's a full moon you can kinda see the ground and you know the farm back to front. Get in the Jeep." Derek orders climbing into the passenger seat and Stiles reluctantly nods following him. 

"We can't risk taking the road, if she's already on her way she'll see us from miles away since barely any cars go on that road." Stiles says as he turns the key in the ignition brining the old car to life.

"We go through your forest, scrub, bush, whatever the hell you wanna call it and then cut through the neighbours paddocks until we hit Kelley Road." Derek instructs and Stiles nods knowing Derek has planned this route in case of an emergency.

The two of them stay silent for the next few minutes. Stiles concentrating on the road in front which he can barely see while Derek sits next to him fiddling with his seat belt nervously as he stares at the revision mirror.

"Derek? You're starting to worry me, are you alright?" Stiles asks after a couple minutes of noticing Derek's fingers trembling and his breathing too sort and quick for Stiles' liking.

"Just focus on the road, I'm fine." Derek responds in a wavering voice clearly not fine but what can Stiles do? Kate is coming after him and there's nothing Stiles can say that will make things better. He can't even comfort Derek right now because he's too fucking focused on the road trying to avoid hitting fences and trees as he heads in the direction of the forest.

"Derek it's- Shit!" Stiles shouts as a tree appears right in front of them. He slams on the breaks hard but it was too late as the front of the Jeep smashes into the tree. Glass going everywhere, metal being bent and the last thing he remembers is Derek calling his name weakly before everything turns black.

-

***meanwhile***

 

"In hindsight not all of us should have came in here at once in case it was a trap." Isaac comments looking around trying to think of a way out of this situation.

"Shut up, Lahey." Boyd responds dryly while trying to pull against the rope around his wrists with no luck.

"Chris, what are you doing?" The Sheriff whispers glancing over at the two men making sure they aren't listening.

"Growing up with a sister like Kate and father like Gerard I learnt to always be prepared for anything." Chris replies softly as he begins to cut the rope ever so slightly with the small knife he had up his sleeve.

"She's going to kill Derek..." Scott says softly looking at the ground, he can feel tears in his eyes but he doesn't care.

"Stiles is with Derek as well! Oh my God, is she gonna kill him too?" Lydia questions looking around at the others noticing nearly everyone has tears in their eyes, all of them knowing there's no hope.

"No. We will stop her before she can kill him or hurt either of them." The Sheriff states in a firm voice when one of Kate's men begins to laugh.

"Derek Hale is a dead man." The blonde haired man says and now it was Parrish who begins laughing.

"If you knew anything about Derek then you would know he doesn't give up easily, Derek will be fine." Parrish responds with a grin watching the man carefully.

"You guys must believe in miracles." The other man says leaning against the wall eyeing them all.

"No. We believe in Derek Hale." Chris responds hiding the knife up his sleeve as the men turn to face him. After a few minutes the men go back to leaning against the walls on their phones as Chris begins to cut the rope again. The others watch him carefully with a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

-

Everything's black. There's voices in the background somewhere talking but he can't understand what they're saying. Everything feels like it's spinning, which is a really odd feeling when he can't see anything. Is he dead? Is this what death feels like? Is Stiles dead? Wait... Stiles! The Christmas parade. Him and Stiles staying home. The Jeep. Driving away from the house because Kate was coming. The tree appearing out of nowhere. The pain. The darkness. It all comes flooding back to him in a flash. 

"Shouldn't we try to wake him up?" A male voice asks to his left somewhere.

"Not yet. It's not midnight, I want him to die on Christmas Day." A female voice replies which he instantly recognises as Kate's. This can't be real. It has to be a dream, Derek thinks to himself as he tries to move his arms but finds he can't. What the hell is going on?

"Looks like your boy is coming into consciousness." A different man says as Derek slowly forces his eyes open but quickly closes them again at the sudden brightness shining at him.

"Don't try pretend you're unconscious. We know you're awake." Kate says, her voice suddenly a lot closer than last time. "Open your eyes!" She yells as she slams a knife down into Derek's thigh causing his eyes to snap open as he screams in pain. 

He squeezes his eyes shut trying to keep his tears in the back of his eyes. He slowly opens them again looking down at the source of pain. Everything was blurry but he could make out the shape of a knife sticking out the top of his thigh with blood slowly seeping through his denim jeans. He quickly looks around taking in his surroundings the best he could. There's three vehicles parked around the area two facing in his direction with their lights shining at him. The other car facing the other way with the boot open showing off some ugly looking weapons making Derek hope like hell he's seeing things.

He blinks a few times as his surroundings begin to clear when he spots a familiar boy standing against a tree trunk with his arms tied around the trunk. Stiles. Stiles is here. Shit. He's dragged Stiles into this mess... Now he's tied up. No this isn't real. He's just living another nightmare. He's still sleeping on the couch in front of the tv with Stiles curled up next to him. This isn't really happening, it can't be.

"Hey handsome, miss me?" Kate's voice suddenly echos through his left ear and he quickly turns around to find her leaning against the tree he was currently tied to with a shit eating grin.

"Y-You're real." Derek says, his voice coming out rougher than he anticipated.

"Aww sweetie of course I am. Does this feel real?" She asks as she runs her fingers lightly across the side of his face. He tenses at the touch of her fingers, squeezing his eyes shut as he turns away the best he could.

"You know how long I have waited for this day to come?" Kate asks into his ear but he doesn't answer. "Six years Derek. Six years searching the country side for you and it has cost me everything!" She yells taking a step back and Derek glances to the right to see Stiles, who was beginning to stir slightly obviously starting to wake up. He's got a cut on his forehead with a trail of blood down the side of his face that Derek didn't notice before but must have been from the car crash.

"Finding you has cost me everything! All our workers left in fear because you were out there somewhere, possibly with a copy of the footage your mother took. Even the people on the inside in the law enforcement left us because they were worried they might be found out and put behind bars. A few of our workers stayed because they trust Gerard and I to keep them safe and because the money is good."

"I don't care." Derek mutters leaning his head back against the tree he was tied to. He closes his eyes trying to ignore the burning sensation coming from the stab wound on his thigh. 

"Aww sweetie does that knife hurt?" Kate questions walking back over to him causing Derek to quickly open his eyes as she twists the blade in his thigh. He clenches his jaw trying to bite back a scream as pain explodes through his leg.

"Stop! You're hurting him!" Stiles' voice suddenly shouts catching both their attention as Stiles stares wide eyed at the knife sticking out Derek's thigh. How long was he passed out for? How much has Kate hurt Derek? And why is his right arm hurting like hell?

"Look who decided to wake up and join the party!" Kate states taking a few steps towards Stiles who was trying to figure out how he's tied to a tree.

"Get the hell away from him." Derek says sternly watching as Kate stops and turns back to him as a smile appears on her face.

"You two are together aren't you? That would explain the photo in that bar." Kate says more to herself than anyone before she glances over at her men who were leaning against a black van watching them.

Derek doesn't say anything to her comment, scared that if he says the wrong thing she will hurt or kill Stiles.

He glances across at Stiles who was already looking at him and he mouths 'sorry' which causes Stiles to immediately shake his head giving Derek a soft smile. How could Stiles not hate him right now for bringing him into this? Because there is only one way this situation is gonna end and that will be both him and Stiles dead.

"He's cute Derek, I see why you like him but man I never would have guessed you'd turn out gay!" Kate continues looking back and forward between the two of them with an amused expression.

"Kate. It's midnight." One of the men shout and Derek glances over at him before looking back at Kate who was grinning and Derek sighs. 

"Midnight? What's so special about midnight?" Stiles questions in confusion and Kate laughs.

"Wow, you don't know Derek's birthday?" Kate questions and Stiles goes still, obviously trying to think but Derek knows he never told Stiles his birthday. 

"Your birthday is on Christmas?!" Stiles exclaims and Derek sighs giving Stiles a guilty smile. "You're going to kill him on his birthday, that's why you have waited it out and tied us to these fucking trees!" Stiles shouts in sudden realisation.

"Sweetie, I don't want to kill him just yet, I want to catch up first. Remember all the fun we had together Derek?" Kate asks walking over to Derek until they were face to face.

"Like the time you burned my family alive and murdered my sister." Derek responds angrily clenching his jaw.

"No. I was thinking more about the hot, crazy sex we use to have... but the whole killing your family thing, yeah that was fun too." Kate teases inches away from Derek's face as he suddenly tilts his head back before head butting her. She stumbles back from the impact grabbing her now bloodied nose as her men load their guns aiming directly at Derek waiting for the call to shoot. 

"I love how much you hate me." Kate says walking back towards him as she pulls out her phone from her pocket. "Now I have a very interesting video that I recorded just for you." She says turning her attention to her phone and Derek glances over at Stiles who looks about as worried as Derek's feeling about what the video is.

"Here we go. Now listen and watch." Kate orders turning the phone around so Derek could see.

'Hi Derek, since you aren't here to experience this first hand I decided to show you myself.' Kate says with a grin in the video and Derek's heart sinks recognising the background behind Kate instantly. 

'Say goodbye to your family.' She says as she flips the camera and Derek gasps as his family come into view. Cora was lying on the floor of their basement living room, her hands tied with a zippy tie. Even through the half blurry video he could see the tears falling down her face and hear her screaming at Kate to let them go. While his parents were tied to the couch with his little brother sitting between them not knowing what's going on.

"Derek! Look at me." Stiles shouts trying to get his attention away from the video. He can barely see the screen but can hear it very clearly as Kate orders her father to start pouring petrol everywhere. "Look me, Derek please. Focus on my voice alright. Don't listen to it. Block it out." Stiles says and Derek turns to face him, tears welling up in his eyes as Kate grabs his chin turning his head back to the video.

"Watch it! Or else Hank will shoot your boyfriend." She threatens as the man walks over to Stiles pressing the barrel of his pistol to Stiles' forehead. He freezes in fear but not taking his eyes off Derek who stops trying to fight Kate and watches the screen. 

He watches the video as Kate walks out his house towards a black ute which he could just see Chris sitting in it, banging against the window trying to get them to stop. But it doesn't work. Kate turns the camera back at the house as Gerard throws the now empty jerrycan under the veranda taking a few steps away as he lights a match.

'Light it up!' Kate's voice shouts through the video as Gerard throws the match onto the steps walking away quickly as the whole veranda suddenly goes up in flames. 

"HEY! TURN IT OFF!" Stiles yells yanking on his chains causing pain to erupt throughout his left arm which he's starting to think is broken. But he doesn't stop as he thrashes against the chain until the man slams the butt of his gun to the side of his face.

"No!" Derek shouts watching as Stiles groans in pain with his head hung low.

"Just listen sweetie. Just listen." Kate orders pulling his face back towards the phone as the flames engulfed all sides of the building. The fire burning with such intensity he could see livid blue flames between the amber red. Tears fall down Derek's cheeks as he watches in horror while the ceiling crashes to the ground with a bang exploding flames through roof. Suddenly the camera gets turned in the direction of the driveway where he could just make out the fine trail of dirt in the air from a vehicle approaching. He knew it was him and Laura coming home and within a split second the video was shut off.

It had taken years for Derek to stop picturing the burning house every time he closed his eyes. Yet, it had taken Kate only a few minutes to completely shatter his progress.

-

"Argent. Please tell me you're getting close." The Sheriff whispers leaning towards the other man while eyeing Kate's men who seemed to be more interested in their own conversation. 

"Yeah. Just give me a second." Chris mutters as he shifts the blade up and down a few more times until suddenly the rope around his right wrist becomes loose. "Got it."

"What now?" Boyd whispers looking across to Chris who was watching Kate's men carefully to make sure they haven't noticed.

"I need a distraction. Allison!" Chris whispers catching his daughters attention as she looks over at him and he motions towards the men and back to her. After a few seconds she eventually clicks to what he wants and she nods before bringing her attention to Kate's men.

"Excuse me." Allison calls looking over towards Kates men with an innocent smile. "I really need to use the ladies room."

"Not our problem sweetheart." The blonde haired man responds but the other man looked half interested. 

"I won't do anything, I swear. You could even come in with me to make sure." Allison adds with a soft smile as Scott bites the inside of his cheek to stop himself from butting in, not liking where this was going.

"Alright, but this is the only time." The other man says putting his pistol into the gun holster on his belt as he walks over to Allison beginning to untie her restraints.

Chris glances over at the other man still standing by the wall who's attention was focused on the two. Slowly he reaches down to his ankles with his untied hand and begins undoing the rope nots. He glances up at Allison watching as the man grabs her arm leading her past the table towards the toilets and he grins to himself as she grabs one of the guns off the table hiding it behind her.

Chris glances back towards the other guard who was now fixing the rope on Allison's chair for when she comes back. Chris quickly unties his other hand just as the familiar sound of a gun firing goes off and within an instant the other man reaches for his gun as Chris stands up pulling out his spare gun from behind his belt.

"Take another step and I pull the trigger." Chris threatens resting the gun against the back of the mans head.

"Allison?" Scott calls worriedly, trying to look over his shoulder towards the toilets but with no luck.

"I'm okay." Allison shouts back as she walks through the door, gun aimed at the blonde haired man who was limping badly. "I shot him in the leg." Allison explains pushing the man to the ground.

She begins untying everyone, handing Parrish his gun back as she goes back to the table to retrieve her crossbow as the Sheriff grabs his hand gun.

"We need to go!" The Sheriff states checking the clip in his gun before looking over at the others who all nod in agreement.

"What about them?" Lydia asks nodding towards Kate's men.

"They basically kidnaped us, can't we put them in jail?" Boyd asks and the Sheriff nods. 

"I don't know how long they'll last in there since they have people on the inside but that's as good of a place as any at the moment. Let's go." The Sheriff responds grabbing the collar of the injured man as Chris grabs the other before they all head out.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N-  
> Hey guys,  
> I was planning on posting this chapter a lot sooner but my dog passed away this week and I haven't been in the right headspace to write. I've had her for nearly 14 years and it just happened out of the blue. I thought it might have been a snake bite, because we have had a lot eastern brown snakes around the farm yard lately but I don't know. 
> 
> Anyway I'm back now, I hope you guys are still enjoying this fic and I promise the next chapter will be up within the next few days.   
> Hope you guys have a great day!  
> Until next time, stay safe everyone and also happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! xx


	29. Chapter 29

"I like Laura's Camaro, it drives real smoothly." Kate says pointing towards the black car to the right and Derek's head drops. He didn't even notice it was a Camaro parked there let alone Laura's! "It's a shame, the last thing your sister saw was you not saving her." Kate adds over her shoulder as she stands by the trunk of the van fiddling with something.

"Derek, don't listen to her. Please baby, she's just trying to mess with you." Stiles whispers looking to his left at Derek wishing so desperately he could hug him and tell him everything's going to be okay.

Derek doesn't respond. The images and noises from the video still playing over and over in his mind. The sound of the fire crackling. The images of his family tied up in the basement. Cora screaming for her life. Everything just playing on a loop through his mind.

"It's not all your fault, Derek. You got tricked by a pretty face, it happens. Handsome young farmer mistakenly falls in love with a super hot girl who turns out to be using him to get to his family..." Kate begins to say before being cut off.

"You've hurt him enough! Now stop!" Stiles shouts pulling on his chains with a gasp of pain as he glares at Kate.

"Oh sweetheart, you better watch what you say, you're swimming in the deep end now and the water is way above your head." Kate responds grabbing an object out the van which looks awfully a lot like a whip. Stiles gulps watching as Kate begins walking towards him. The jagged metal tips on the whip shining from the cars headlights as she stops a few metres in front of him.

"It would be unfair if I give Derek all the attention, wouldn't it?" Kate says and before Stiles could even think of a response she's swinging the whip. He quickly turns his head away, unable to do much else to protect himself as the blade tip slices his left cheek. He grunts in pain, squeezing his eyes closed as he feels blood slowly trickle down his face from the cut.

"Kate!" Derek shouts, speaking for the first time in nearly twenty minutes and Stiles isn't sure whether he should be happy or mad. "Leave him out of this. Please, he has nothing to do with this. Just let him go and I promise you, I will tell you whatever you want and you can do whatever you want to me. Just please, leave Stiles out of this."

"Derek, no." Stiles warns but from the fierce look he gets in return, he shuts up not wanting to argue with Derek.

"Did Derek Hale just beg me to stop hurting him? Man, I always through you were strong Derek, not the begging type. But I guess I was wrong." Kate responds with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You're wrong about a lot of things and I'm not afraid to admit I'm vulnerable when it comes to him." Derek replies keeping his tone stern, not taking his eyes off Kate.

"Well this was unexpected, but I'm more than happy to torture you more." Kate says with a grin as she walks over to Derek still holding the whip in her hand. He has a sick feeling in his stomach about what she's about to do, but he'd rather it be him than Stiles. He'll do anything to make sure Stiles doesn't get hurt. He just has to stall Kate until he can think of a plan or until the others find them.

"Kate! Somethings wrong. We can't get in contact with your other two men." The tattooed man says looking up from his phone and Derek grins realising the others are most likely on their way.

"Doesn't matter. After tonight our old workers will come back once Derek's no longer around. We will rebuilt the Argent company. Making it bigger and better in every way. But for now, I want to hear Derek beg for his life. I want to hear him scream. Sort of like old times but under different circumstances." Kate responds and Stiles' eyes go wide with shock... or panic he isn't quite sure because right now he is feeling so many emotions. 

"Do what you want to me. Hurt me, beat me, kill me, I don't care. Just leave him out of it." Derek says sternly staring at Kate who simply nods in agreement as she cracks the whip. Slicing through Derek's tank top leaving a long cut across his chest.

His jaw clenches as his face screws up in pain looking down at his chest to find deep red blood seeping through his white tank top. Before he even gets a chance to take a breath Kate brings the whip cracking down against his abdomen over and over and over again. Searing pain spreads throughout his upper body as he feels his flesh being sliced open from each blow. He curls in on himself the best he could which was near on impossible with the restraints around his limbs. Biting his lip with enough force to draw blood, he holds back his screams knowing that is exactly what Kate wants.

By the time the strikes stop coming his tank top is barely holding together by a thread, completely shredded and now stained red with fresh blood. He hangs his head low with his chin rested on his chest while he tries to catch his breath, ignoring the sharp pain coming from each and every cut as he breathes.

He doesn't look up but he could hear Kate walking away. No doubt swapping weapons or taking a drink break or something stupid.

"Derek?" Stiles whispers not wanting Kate to hear them talking afraid she might hurt Derek even more for it.

"I'm fine." Derek replies breathlessly moving slightly which turns out to be a bad idea. Pain skyrockets throughout his body as he feels fresh blood slowly weeping from all the cuts.

"Can you see yourself? Because I can and you're not fine! Your entire stomach and chest is a mixture of flesh and blood! Oh my God that knife is still in your leg-" Stiles states nervously, on the edge of a panic attack before Derek cuts him off.

"Stiles. Stiles, look at me." Derek says softly leaning the back of his head against the tree, turning to look at Stiles as their eyes lock. "I have a plan, everything's going to be fine."

"Is your plan to get yourself killed?!" Stiles hisses trying to sound angry but he was freaking out too much to be angry.

"The others are on their way, we just have to keep her distracted and busy until then." Derek replies softly glancing towards Kate who was standing with her men on her phone, clearly trying to get in contact with her other men.

"By distract her you mean let her torture you? Derek, you can't be serious? There's gotta be another way." Stiles whispers shaking his head but by the look in his boyfriends eyes he knew he was.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Derek asks and Stiles' sighs shaking his head. Nothing about this plan sits right with him, he can't see Derek get hurt again, he can't. 

"Seems like we are gonna have to speed things up a bit. My men can't do one simple job and now looks like my brother and your friends are on their way." Kate's voice suddenly says as she picks up another jagged knife putting it through her belt.

Derek and Stiles both watch as she puts something over her knuckles, they can't quite see what it is but they could probably make a pretty good guess.

"But just because we have to make this quicker doesn't mean it can't be fun." Kate adds as she walks towards Derek landing a hard solid punch to his stomach. All the air in his lungs feels like it just got knocked out him, leaving him gasping for a breath.

Kate laughs softly grabbing the side of Derek's face forcing him to look at her before she punches him in the jaw. The back of his head slams hard against the tree as the entire right side of his face throbs in pain, almost allowing him to forget the pain coming from the cuts on his abdomen.

"Come on, Derek. I know that must have hurt, these knuckle dusters are made from carbon fibre. Scream for me, Derek. Scream." Kate says into his ear but Derek just shakes his head with a wince.

"You're gonna have to do more than that if you want me to scream." Derek mutters as he spits the blood in his mouth at her.

"Boys! Come here and untie him, I wanna make this more interesting." Kate orders taking a few steps back.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" One of the men ask as they begin to walk towards them.

"Look at him. He ain't gonna do much." Kate responds as she fiddles with the knuckle dusters wiping the blood off on the side of her jeans.

"You're the boss." The man replies as the two of them begin undoing the restraints at the back of the tree. Stiles watches unsure of what's about to happen. He knows Derek is badly hurt, he's seen Derek hurt badly before but he's almost certain Derek could still win a fight in his condition.

Within seconds the ropes around Derek's arms and ankles go slack causing Derek to nearly fall over with nothing holding him up. Stiles watches worriedly a few metres away as Derek grabs hold of the tree with a groan to keep himself up right. 

"Come on, Derek. This is a little pathetic. At least try and fight me." Kate teases as she takes a few steps closer placing her hand on his shoulder. Stiles grins to himself knowing exactly what's about to happen, after seeing Derek in a fair few fights he knows his technique. Right on queue Derek grabs her arm spinning around as he slams her into the ground. In a split second Kate's men load their guns aiming right at him.

"Put the guns down. I got this." Kate responds kicking Derek's legs out from under him as he falls straight to the ground on his back, landing next to Stiles with a groan as his body tenses in pain. The slices over his chest and stomach leaking blood slowly adding to the already bloodied and bruised skin.

Kate jumps on top of him in an instant pounding her fist into his face and ribs, alternating between the two. Punch after punch after punch. After the seventh or eighth, Derek can't remember, his ears begin to ring as his whole head erupts in a throbbing pain. 

"STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!" Stiles' voice screams from somewhere to his right but he can't see, his vision blurs slightly as Kate punches him in the temple.

"Put duct tape over the boys mouth, I don't wanna hear him." Kate orders digging her knee into Derek's stomach as she watches her men cover Stiles' mouth with a strip of tape. She turns back to Derek who's still lying beneath her trying and failing to get up as she takes the knuckle dusters off throwing them to the side. Using her distraction to his advantage, Derek pulls the knife out his thigh holding back a scream as he uses all the strength he has left to stab it into her shoulder. 

Kate screams in pain falling off him in an instant her hand going straight to her shoulder as she pulls the knife out. Stiles watches as Derek manages to get onto his hands and knees, putting a hand on one of Stiles' legs to show him that he's okay. Stiles tries smiling at the gesture and touch of Derek but with the duct tape over his mouth it was next to impossible. Suddenly Kate's men were on Derek. The bigger man with tattoos kicks him in the stomach causing him to fall back to the ground a metre from Stiles' feet. Stiles screams into the duct tape unable to do anything but watch as the man he loves gets beaten. One of Kate's men kicking Derek on the side, the other standing on his bad knee to keep him in place.

Derek's face twists in pain, his eyes squeezed shut as his back arches in agony from every strike. After what felt like hours, the men finally stop, happy that Derek won't be going anywhere any time soon. They walk back to Kate who was leaning against the side of the van holding her shoulder, he notices one of the men pull out a first aid kid but that's all he sees before he draws his attention back to Derek next to him.

He was lying on his back. His tank top now completely ripped off exposing his bloodied and bruised body. His upper body covered in deep and jagged cuts but thankfully most of them have stopped bleeding. Stiles silently thanks every God he knows for that small victory. Aside from the cuts Derek has nasty bruising over his rib cage and lower stomach matching the red and purple bruises on the right side of his face. It sorta reminds Stiles of the time in the bar when him and Jackson had the fight. Derek had come back with bruises on his face with matching bruised ribs. God he wishes they could go back to that time where Derek was safe from Kate. Where the only problem they had was what to make for lunches with the farmhands. Instead of trying to stay alive long enough for his dad and hopefully the entire Deputy crew to rock up to put Kate behind bars or even kill her... Yeah he likes that option better.

Derek coughs leaning on his side slightly as he spits blood on the ground next to him. He winces reaching for his knee and Stiles' knows it's injured real bad.

"It's okay." Derek says in a rough voice looking up at Stiles who shakes his head as water builds up in his eyes. "I'm fine." Derek adds his voice coming out cracked and Stiles couldn't help but roll his eyes at the clearly incorrect statement. Derek laughs softly knowing exactly what Stiles wants to say before he begins to cough again with a groan. "Don't make me laugh." Derek mumbles his face in a permanent grimace and Stiles nods, not knowing what else to do.

After a few minutes Derek finally gets his breath back and despite the agonising pain radiating all over his body he forces himself back onto his hands and feet. Stiles glances over towards Kate and her men and sighs realising they are busy trying to bandage her shoulder. He suddenly feels Derek's hand on his shoulder and he quickly turns to find the man standing next to him leaning against the tree.

"Is your arm broken?" Derek asks softly motioning towards his right arm which looks bruised and swollen and Stiles nods. Derek nods back leaning more on Stiles' left shoulder knowing it's not his bad arm as he reaches for the tape over Stiles' mouth.

"Touch that tape and I will put a bullet in his head." Kate's voice shouts angrily. Derek freezes turning slowly to find Kate standing a few metres away her gun aimed at Stiles' forehead.

"Don't shoot him." Derek quickly begs as he takes his hand away not wanting Stiles to get shot.

"Take two steps away from your boyfriend." Kate orders and Derek nods as he limps a few steps to his left grabbing his knee with a wince. "Good, now I can shoot you without covering your boyfriend in your blood. See I can be nice." Kate says with a smile as she cocks her pistol putting a bullet in the chamber.

"Stiles, close your eyes." Derek quickly orders glancing across at him before looking back at Kate as she points the gun at his head. Stiles screams into the tape, yanking on his restraints despite the pain exploding through his broken arm. His eyes welling up with tears as he locks eyes with Derek again. "Don't watch. Please, don't watch." Derek whispers as a gunshot cracks through the cool night air. At first he doesn't feel anything, thinking Kate has missed until he feels the all too familiar feeling of blood trickling down his leg. In a split second he falls the ground, pain bursting through his knee as blood forms over his leg through his jeans.

"God damnit." Derek groans grabbing his knee in agony as he hears Kate laugh with amusement in the background. He clenches his teeth, holding back a scream. Not giving Kate the pleasure of hearing it. That means she's won and Derek doesn't give up that easily.

"Did you think I was going to kill you right there and then? No... I need to mark my property before I kill it." Kate states as she hands the gun to one her men before she pulls out the knife in her belt. 

Well this is anything but good, Derek thinks as he tries to drag himself backwards away from her but she grabs his knee pinning him to where he sat. "Guys! Hold him down." Kate shouts and within seconds the two men where crouched either side of Derek holding him to the ground. "Get him on his side." Kate instructs as the men turn Derek to his side and he groans from the movement causing the pain in his knee to increase.

He stares at the dirt next to his face trying to calm his breathing as the sharp sting of a knife cuts skin on the upper part of his arm. He tries remembering the lines she cuts to workout what the hell she was drawing or writing on his arm but everything around the area was numb.

After a few minutes Kate orders her men to let him go as she stands up walking back towards the van. He gently lies down on his back careful not the move his knee too much as he looks down to the side of his arm. His arm covered in blood so it's hard to tell what she did from a distance but he knew exactly what it was. Her initials KA carved into his skin with a knife. He glances up at Stiles who's watching him with tears falling down his cheeks which breaks Derek's heart even more. He has to think of something. They're running out of time.


	30. Chapter 30

*** 10 minutes earlier ***

"Check the house now!" The Sheriff orders as he climbs out his police cruiser followed by Scott, Parrish, Allison and Lydia while the others all climb out Chris' Toyota.

"I'll check the cottage." Boyd shouts as they all begin running towards the houses when suddenly the sound of a gunshot echoes through the night sky and they all freeze.

"Holy shit." Allison mutters breaking the silence putting her hands over her mouth in shock.

"It came from the forest. It wouldn't have echoed like that otherwise." Parrish states and Chris nods in agreement.

"Lets go! Melissa call the ambulance, someone needs to stay here to direct the ambulance where to go." The Sheriff says looking around at the others. 

"I can stay." Lydia suggested.

"I will stay with her, I don't want anyone by themselves when Kate is out here." Melissa adds and the Sheriff mouths 'thank you' as everyone else piles back into the cars as they take off in the direction of the forest. 

Chris puts his foot on the clutch as he shifts up a gear slamming down the accelerator to keep up to the Sheriffs Cruiser as they drive through paddocks and gates in a rush.

"Argent. You on channel?" The Sheriff's voice calls through the utes handheld radio.

"Yeah." Chris replies holding the radio in one hand as he watches the road.

"If your sister is armed and threatening to use it on anyone, Parrish and I won't hesitate to use lethal force." The Sheriff replies and Chris nods knowing what the man is trying to get at. 

"Don't worry Stilinski. If she tries to kill any of us I will kill her myself." Chris responds into the radio as he puts the handheld piece down glancing across at Allison in the passenger seat who gives him a reassuring nod.

They all drive in silence for a few minutes. None of them knowing what to say, too scared to even think about the fact that there was a gunshot from the forest.

After a few minutes they finally reach the forest as two sets of headlights shine straight at them. The Sheriff hits the breaks bringing the Cruiser to a stop and Chris follows his lead parking next to him as the headlights switch off on the two unknown vehicles.

"What the hell are they doing?" Isaac questions leaning forward in the backseat to try see where the two cars went.

"I don't have a good feeling about this." Allison mutters and her dad nods in agreement as they get out the car. They take a step towards the Sheriff to see what he has to say when gunshots fill the still country air around them. Bullets fly past the vehicles as windows smash, spraying glass all over them.

"Get down!" The Sheriff shouts covering Erica as everyone ducks down behind the police cruiser away from the line of fire. "Parrish, can you reach the rifle in the passenger seat?" John asks and Parrish nods as he crawls slowly around the other side of the car. It's a full moon but with all the tree cover it was next to impossible for the guys with guns to see him crawling to the door.

"Jordan, be careful." Scott whispers as he leans against the back wheel watching as Parrish disappears around the side of the Cruiser. After a couple seconds the familiar sound of the car door opening fills the air as the interior light in the car turns on. He hears Parrish swear under his breath at the light when bullets begin firing, cracking through the air like thunder.

"Leave the gun. Get back behind cover!" The Sheriff orders as he hears the door slam shut before Parrish hurriedly crawls back to the other side of the car.

"I got it." He states breathlessly as he leans against the side of the Cruiser to get his breath back before handing the Sheriff the assault rifle. "Shit. My pistols in the backseat." Parrish suddenly says.

"Take mine. I got the rifle." The Sheriff responds sliding the handgun along the dirt to Parrish on the other side of the car.

"There's two guys. North about 50 metres. They're behind their cars as well." Chris suddenly informs and without a second of hesitation, Chris, Parrish and John all turn around peaking out around and above the Cruiser taking shots in the rough direction.

It doesn't take long before the men begin firing back, leaving Boyd, Erica, Allison, Scott and Isaac crouched down behind the car watching in panic as the others continuously fire shot after shot.

"Ones down." Parrish shouts as he swaps clips in the handgun, reloading it before firing again. Bullets fly everywhere, smashing into the side of both vehicles, no windows left standing.

"This is taking too long. We all know Kate isn't there, she must be somewhere around here with Stiles and Derek." Scott shouts above the gunfire covering his head as the tyre next to him bursts from a bullet.

"Dad. You're good at tracking, go find Stiles and Derek. We'll cover you and keep these guys busy." Allison shouts as she stands up loading her crossbow leaning against the car.

"Go, Argent!" The Sheriff shouts noticing the mans slight hesitation and Chris nods reloading his gun before he makes a run for it. 

-

"What's going on over there?" Kate questions frantically into her phone as she leans against the Camaro looking in the direction of the gun fire. "I don't care that he got shot in the arm, he has another arm he can use to shoot!" Kate shouts into the phone.

"Son of a..." Derek mutters softly through his clenched teeth as he stands himself up grabbing Stiles' tree so he doesn't put pressure on his right leg. "Here." Derek whispers as he quickly pulls the duct tape off Stiles mouth.

"Holy shit. Derek, you're bleeding like everywhere." Stiles quickly says but Derek just nods as he hobbles to the back of the tree undoing the chains around Stiles' arms and legs.

"Sorry." Derek apologies as he bumps Stiles' broken arm as he undoes the chains. He glances over at Kate who seems oblivious to them at the moment, too focused on yelling at her men through the phone.

"We gotta get out of here." Stiles says as the chains fall loose by his feet. He winces grabbing his arm holding it to his chest as he hears Derek swear under his breath before a loud thump. He quickly turns around to find Derek half sitting, half lying on the ground with a pained expression.

"I'm fine." Derek grits out grabbing his knee and within a second Stiles was on the ground next to him.

"You're not fine. You're far from fine. I'm not even fine. We are getting you to a fucking hospital but in order to do that I really need you to get up, I can't carry you let alone with my arm." Stiles says putting his good hand on Derek's cheek wiping away some of the blood. Derek just nods closing his eyes as he takes a sharp breath before standing himself up with the help of the tree and Stiles. 

"The others. There's gun fire." Derek begins to say as he looks over his shoulder to where the shots were coming from.

"It's okay, its my dad. He knows how to shoot. They'll be fine." Stiles reassures as he wraps his good arm around Derek's torso who puts his arm around Stiles' shoulder for support.

"Hey!" Kate's voice shouts causing the two of them to freeze where they are standing. Derek slowly turns around leaning onto Stiles to find Kate standing closer now with a gun in her hand.

"Derek?" Stiles whispers gripping Derek slightly tighter as he stares at Kate not knowing what to do.

"I know." Derek replies softly not taking his eyes off Kate as she checks the chamber in her gun.

"Say hi to your sister for me." Kate says with a grin lifting the gun up, aiming it right at Derek.

"Kate!" Chris' voice shouts and she turns her head to find her brother standing by the Camero his gun raised aiming right at her.

"Really Chris? You're going to shoot your own sister? I don't think so." She responds clicking the safety off her gun turning back towards Derek.

"Drop the gun, Kate!" Chris yells resting his finger on the trigger. "Don't make me do this, please." He begs but Kate just laughs shaking her head.

"If you want to stop me then you're gonna have to kill me, but I know you won't." Kate says in a cocky tone before she turns back to Stiles and Derek placing her finger on the trigger.

"Stiles! Get down." Derek shouts using the last of his strength to push Stiles to the side in the direction of the tree for cover as the sound of two distinct gunshots crack in the air.

Derek quickly grabs the trunk of the tree to steady himself as he suddenly feels wetness over his chest. He looks down in confusion as his eyes land on a bullet wound on the left side of his bare chest. In a split second pain erupts from his body as he watches in horror as blood oozes down his stomach.

"S-Stiles." Derek stutters glancing across at him. He was lying on the ground where Derek pushed him and he looked up at Derek before his eyes flicker down his chest.

"No. No. No." Stiles shouts in a shaky voice as he just managed to grab Derek before he hits the ground. "No. You are not dying today." Stiles orders as he lays Derek down before quickly ripping off his jacket pressing it against the wound to try slow the bleeding. "Chris! Call an ambulance." Stiles shouts not taking his eyes off Derek who was starting to loose focus.

"They're already on their way. Move." Chris instructs as he presses both hands over the now the blood soaked jacket. Derek screams in pain at the sudden pressure squeezing his eyes shut.

"Hey, no. Open your eyes. You're going to be fine. Alright? You're going to be fine." Stiles repeats as he grips Derek's hand with his good arm, squeezing it almost too tightly, afraid that if he lets go then Derek will as well.

"Derek!" Erica's voice cries out in the background but Stiles was too focused on Derek's trembling form to look at her. Chris kept the pressure over the wound, not saying anything knowing he needs to give Stiles and Derek as much time together as possible. Stiles grips Derek's hand tighter as he kisses him on the forehead gently. 

"Stay with me Derek. Please, stay with me!" Stiles whispers, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks no matter how badly he wants them to stop. He watches helplessly as Derek gasps in pain, clenching his jaw shut trying to stop himself from screaming. Stiles knew this was bad. The gunshot is over his heart which only means one thing. But Stiles won't let himself believe that. Derek Hale has been through hell way to many times to count and he always finds a way to come back. He won't let Derek go, he can't let Derek go.

"Oh my God." Scott whispers in absolute shock as he comes to a stop a few metres away. He watches in fear as Chris holds a bloodied jacket over Derek's chest while Stiles sits next to him leaning over Derek, talking softly.

"Chris?" The Sheriff calls in an uneasy voice staring at Derek's shaking body on the ground. Chris glances over his shoulder to find the Sheriff standing behind him with Isaac, Parrish, Scott and Allison to his left while Boyd hugs Erica to his right trying to calm him girlfriend down. He looks back at the Sheriff giving him a sad look with a slight shake of his head indicating that this isn't going to end well. 

Suddenly Allison was grabbing Scott's arm and he quickly lifts him arm pulling her into a hug as she begins crying. Parrish wipes his eyes taking a step backwards slightly trying to keep his emotions in check knowing it won't help anyone if he doesn't. Isaac's hand gently grabs his shoulder and he looks up, Isaac's expression matching his own.

"Stiles... I-I love you." Derek's voice trembles as stares up at Stiles’ brown eyes, lifting his hand up resting it on Stiles' cheek shakily as he wipes away one of his tears.

"Don't say that." Stiles whispers leaning into Derek's touch with a shaky breath. Derek gives him a confused look followed by a wince as his face twitches in pain. "It sounds like you're saying goodbye. Don't do that. Just stop talking, save you're energy." Stiles replies softly kissing Derek's hand.

Ambulance sirens begin ringing in the distance but Stiles can feel Derek's grip getting looser.

"I'm s-sorry." Derek stutters, his voice barley a whisper as his eyes slowly begin to close. 

"No. Derek! Open your eyes. Stay with me God damnit." Stiles sobs gripping his hand tighter as Derek's eyes flutter open with sheer will, looking up at Stiles with teary eyes. "I love you. Don't do this, please just hang on a little longer." Stiles begs glancing at the mans chest knowing he is loosing way too much blood.

"It's okay." Derek whispers as a few tears fall from his eyes. He knows this is the end. He accepted it hours ago before Kate even got here, knowing exactly what was going to happen. "I-I love you too." Derek whispers, his eyes floating as he slips in and out of unconscious.

"No. No. Stay with me Der. Please. Stay with me. Derek, open your eyes." Stiles cries shaking Derek's shoulders getting no response. "No. Don't do this, please don't do this." Stiles begs cupping Derek's face with trembling hands as he presses his forehead on Derek's.

"Stiles, move out the way. The paramedics will take care of him." Someone says behind him but he doesn't register what they say, too focused on Derek's lifeless body in front of him.

"Derek, open your eyes. Come on, please Derek. This isn't the end, it can't be. Derek..." Stiles sobs, tears pouring down his cheeks as he grabs Derek's hand squeezing it tightly.

"Kid you need to move." Another voice says as two hands grab his shoulders trying to pull him backwards.

"No don't!" Stiles yells fighting against the person grabbing him as he scrambles back to Derek's side. "I'm not going anywhere, Derek. I'm here. I'm here."

"Stiles. Son. Please, the paramedics are here." His fathers voice says softly and for the first time Stiles looks away from Derek, blinking quickly at the sudden flashing ambulance lights behind him.

"Dad?" Stiles voice croaks as sudden realisation hits him. The ambulance is here... but they're too late.

"It's okay, just let go of Derek. Let the paramedics do they're job." The Sheriff says and Stiles nods slowly everything becoming hazy as he lets his father drag him out the way.

He watches as three paramedics rush over to Derek followed by Melissa who lifts up Stiles' blood soaked jacket to inspect the wound. Too focused on watching the paramedics he doesn't notice Scott sitting down next to him until he bumps his broken arm causing him to gasp loudly.

"Stiles, whats wrong with your arm?" Scott quickly asks in a rough voice looking down at his best friends arm but unable to see his skin through the long sleeve flannel.

"Broken." Stiles responds emotionlessly unable to take his eyes off Derek's bruised and bloodied body.

"There's a pulse! Extremely faint but he's alive." One of the paramedics shout and everyone freezes, scared they have misheard the woman.

"Get him into the ambulance! We need to get him to the hospital!" Melissa orders.

"Derek's alive." Chris says in shock, watching as they load the young man into the back of the ambulance.

"Wait! I'm not leaving him. I'm coming." Stiles suddenly says as he snaps out of whatever haze he was in.

"There's no room. And we're wasting time, meet us at the hospital." Melissa shouts leaving them no time to respond as the ambulance drives off.

"Where's the car?!" Stiles questions glancing up at his Dad who points to one of the black vans and with that they all pile in. Parrish, Lydia, Scott, Allison and Isaac all climb in the back of the van while the others sit in the cab before they take off towards the road.

-

*** 30 minutes later ***

"Stiles, are you hurt anywhere else?" His father asks turning in the passenger seat to look at him. Stiles just shakes his head staring out his window fiddling with his fingers in anxiousness. Derek isn't dead... there's still hope, he isn't dead.

"Stiles, you have a nasty cut on your forehead and a cut along your cheek. You are hurt." Erica says next to him, her voice soft and shaky.

"It doesn't matter." Stiles replies as he continues staring out the window watching as they enter Beacon Hills.

"It does matter! I am not losing two friends in one day!" Erica exclaims tears welling up in eyes as Boyd grabs her hand for comfort.

"Derek is still alive! He has to be." Stiles responds turning to face her, both of them now with watery eyes and Erica just nods. 

"I know. I know, Stiles. I'm sorry." Erica replies softly as she wraps him in a hug being mindful of his arm.

"Which way did the ambulance go?" Chris asks shifting down a gear as he turns into the hospital car park.

"Turn left, they went around the back." The Sheriff replies and Chris nods turning the corner to find the ambulance pulling up next to the large doors.

Before Chris even gets the chance to pull the park break on, Stiles already jumps out the car running towards the ambulance.

"Is he okay?" Stiles questions frantically as the paramedics wheel Derek towards the door. Stiles stares at his boyfriend strapped the hospital gurney, he looks a lot more paler than earlier if that's even possible. 

"Where are you taking him?" Scott questions running up behind Stiles looking towards his mum.

"We nearly lost him twice on the drive here. He's breathing and that's all that matters at the moment. We are taking him straight to surgery and praying that the bullet didn't hit or go through his heart." Melissa explains turning back to the other paramedics. "Take him to surgery room five, I will be there soon." She orders before turning back to Stiles and Scott as the others walk up behind them.

"What if the bullet did hit his heart?" Stiles asks running his fingers through his hair nervously, not wanting to know the answer.

"Then you are going have to prepare yourself for the fact that Derek probably isn't going to make it." Melissa answers truthfully with a sad look. "I will inform you on information as soon as I get it, if you don't want to leave you're gonna have to go wait in the waiting room. I got to go." Melissa says before taking off in the direction they wheeled Derek.

"Chris, can you take them to the waiting room? I need to call this in, I have two dead men and a dead woman on my farm." The Sheriff says pulling out his phone and Chris nods putting his hand on Allison's shoulder.

"Come on guys, let's go inside." He says and they all nod heading towards the front door.

-

They spend the first hour sitting in silence. Hoping like hell that Derek somehow makes it out of the surgery, although with a bullet stuck in his heart Melissa says the odds of him surviving is one in a million.

Not even Chris says anything, too caught up replaying the past events in his head trying to think of something he could have done differently.

None of them have moved an inch since sitting down. Erica's curled up on Boyd's lap, at a glance she looks asleep but everyone can see her silent tears but don't say anything, knowing full well they all have shed at least one tear as well. Parrish was sitting a couple seats to the left of Boyd with his arm wrapped around Lydia. While Scott and Allison were sitting together leaning against the wall hand in hand, neither of them talking not knowing what to say. Leaving Isaac sitting opposite them with Stiles sitting a few spaces to the right of him.

All of them shaken from what just happened and traumatised from seeing Derek lying on the ground covered in his own blood.

Stiles looks down at his lap noticing the red blood stains over his flannel and jeans that belong to Derek. He closes his eyes trying to get the thoughts and images of Derek being tortured out his head. Derek volunteered himself to be hurt by Kate so that he didn't have to. Derek was whipped, beaten, cut, stabbed and shot, all to keep him safe. Derek pushed him out the way of Kate's gun putting himself in the firing line. He didn't deserve any of this, he doesn't deserve to die. He can't die. Derek can't die. 

"Is Kate definitely dead?" Scott questions breaking the long silence as he looks towards Chris who nods.

"I shot her in the head as she pulled the trigger towards Stiles and Derek. She's definitely dead, I just should have done it sooner." Chris admits shaking his head as he looks down at the ground.

"It's not your fault, it's mine. Derek pushed me out the way putting himself right in front of the firing line as Kate shot. I should have moved myself out the way but instead I just stood there like a deer in headlights." Stiles responds leaning back in his seat as he cradles his broken arm to his chest.

"No. Stiles, this was not your fault. Derek made his choice. You didn't do it for him, he chose it and that is not on you." Chris says sternly, sitting up higher in seat and Stiles just nods slightly, knowing he hasn't got the energy to argue about it. 

Another hour passes by the time the Sheriff gets back followed by two of his Deputies.

"Any news?" He asks walking towards the group who were all spread out around the waiting room giving each other space. It's close to 3am so they had the entire waiting room to themselves minus the occasional nurse and doctor that walks by.

"The bullet is stuck in his heart. Melissa said he's got about a one in a million chance of survival." Lydia responds realising nobody else wanted to repeat the bad news. The Sheriff sighs pinching the bridge of his nose as he takes a seat next to Stiles.

"I know it's the last thing you guys want to do right now but I need you all one at a time to give these Deputies your statement about what happened." The Sheriff says and they nod understanding it's a requirement.

"Mr Argent, would you like to go first and give us your statement?" One of the Deputies ask and Chris sighs but nods anyway. "Come with us." The Deputy says as Chris stands up following them through the door.

"Stiles." The Sheriff begins to say before his son cuts him off.

"I know what you're going to say so don't bother." Stiles mumbles folding his arms as he leans back further in his chair.

"It's one in a million chance, Stiles. You need to prepare yourself for bad news, the doctor and nurses are doing their best but a bullet to the heart... Even you know it's going to take a miracle." His father says in a calm tone. He knows his dad is trying to help him, trying to help make things easier for him when Melissa comes back saying that Derek's dead. But he doesn't want to hear it, he won't give up on Derek, he can't.

"No." Stiles replies fairly loudly catching the attention of the others who are now looking at him.

"Why?" His father questions putting his hand on Stiles' shoulder for comfort.

"Because there is still a chance Derek is going to survive. Yes, it's a very small chance but it's possible! I am not giving up on him, I won't. During the past six or so years life has thrown a shit load of curve balls at Derek, yet he still managed to get through it. I refuse to believe that Derek made it through all those years of hell just to die as his life finally became good and somewhat normal. Dad, I can't lose someone else I love, not Derek." Stiles says as tears begin falling down his cheeks again.

"Hey, it's alright. Come here." His father says pulling him in for a hug. "If Derek survives he's gonna need you for support to get through this. I don't know what Kate did to him, but by the look of his body he was tortured and that's something that doesn't just go away over night. He's going to need you, which means you need to take care of yourself so you're ready to help him. You need to get your arm and cuts checked out." His father says and Stiles just nods hugging his dad tighter as he stops trying to hold back his tears.


	31. Chapter 31

*** three hours later ***

 

"I told the Deputies that you'll give your statement later." The Sheriff whispers sitting back down next to his son quietly, trying not to wake Allison, Scott or Isaac who are asleep in their chairs. The others are clearly tired too but none of them able to sleep as they sit there on their phones or reading crappy magazines trying to get their mind off what happened.

"Thanks dad." Stiles replies with a soft smile as he fiddles with the cotton that's sticking out from under his cast. He had his arm checked out earlier confirming that his wrist was in fact broken but not severely. The doctor just put a cast over his arm which ends before his elbow so it isn't too bad. He also has a minor concussion from the cut on his forehead but other than that he's okay.

-

It gets close to seven in the morning before Melissa walks through the large doors holding a clipboard. Erica and Lydia quickly wake the others up as they look over at Melissa trying to look past her neutral expression to workout whether it's going to be good or bad news.

"He's in a stable condition at the moment." Melissa informs with a smile and everyone sighs with relief, all lost for words.

"So he's alive? Derek's alive?" Stiles questions trying to make sure what he's hearing is true and Melissa nods.

"The bullet was stuck in his right ventricle in his heart. He's extremely lucky that the bullet hit where it did and not a different part of the heart. The pressure is so much higher in concentration compared the left ventricle and also because the bullet was stuck there it slowed the bleeding down just long enough to keep him alive. He still lost a lot of blood but it slowed the bleeding down enough for him to hold on a little longer. It's a Christmas miracle, it really is." Melissa says and Stiles couldn't help the smile on his face as a few tears fall down his cheeks. Derek's alive, he's breathing. He's alive.

"So he's going to be okay? The bullet won't cause any long term damage to his heart?" Parrish asks and Melissa shakes her head.

"But I do have some bad news." She admits and everyone's head snap back towards her in sudden panic. 

"What kind of bad news?" Scott asks looking at his mother in worry.

"He might not be able walk properly without a crutch or some sort of walking stick with him." She explains and everyone stares at her in confusion. "Derek's right knee cap was clearly fractured months ago from that motorbike crash. It must have been a pretty bad fracture because his body had tried healing it but it's made things a lot worse. He was also shot in that knee today which completely shattered it and tore nearly every tendon and ligament around the area. He'll be extremely lucky if he can walk on it again." 

"Shit." Stiles mutters running his fingers through his hair, not knowing what to do with this new information.

"He's alive that's all that matters right now. If it turns out he can't walk without help then we will deal with it when the time comes." The Sheriff responds and Stiles nods. 

"Can we see him?" Stiles asks sitting up in his seat and Melissa nods.

"He'll be unconscious for at least the rest of the day, he's in room 27. Visiting hours don't start until 10am so I'm going to walk this way and turn my back, just be quiet when your in there." Melissa answers and everyone nods as she walks towards the front desk.

Without saying another word the ten of them quickly get up and walk in the direction Melissa came from. They follow Scott down the hall knowing he knows the hospital inside and out and after a couple of minutes they reach Derek's room. 

Slowly Stiles reaches the door handle and pushes it open. The room was a lot bigger than he expected which was no doubt thanks to Melissa. The room is large enough to fit three or four hospital beds yet it just contains one to the right of the room. Stiles looks over towards Derek. He forgot how peaceful the man looks when he's unconscious. He's not in pain, he's not overthinking, he's not having any nightmares... well at least Stiles doesn't think he is. It reminds him of the first time they met. The day Derek literally walked up their driveway and passed out from heatstroke while Stiles had a shotgun pointed at him. Him and Scott had to carry Derek into his room and onto his bed, where Derek stayed unconscious for nearly an hour. Although back then Derek wasn't seriously injured or covered in cuts and bruises.

Stiles walks into the room further letting the others get through the door and they all gasp taking in Derek's form. The hospital gown covered a lot of his injuries that Stiles knew where there. All the cuts and bruises over his chest and stomach were covered. The bullet wound to his heart was covered but Stiles can see the distinct outline of the bandage wrapped around it. The gown covers most of his legs but you can see the bottom of the splint that the doctor has put over his knee.

"He's got more colour in face. That's a good sign." Lydia comments from behind him and Stiles just nods trying to keep his tears from spilling as he reaches Derek's side.

"He looks so young like this." Chris says softly as Stiles grabs Derek's hand with his good arm careful not to bump the IV drip that's connected him.

"He's just a kid." His father replies putting a hand on Stiles shoulder as he looks at Derek.

After a few minutes Stiles sits down on the seat next to Derek's bed. He leans his elbows on the side of the bed with his hand resting on top of Derek's.

"We're gonna need more chairs." Boyd states looking around the room as there's only two plastic chairs sitting in the corner.

"I have an idea but we can't get caught doing it." Scott suddenly says catching everyone's attention. Stiles looks over his shoulder towards his best friend with a smug look on his face knowing exactly what Scott is going to do. "Boyd, Isaac, Parrish. I'm gonna need your help." 

-

By the time midday comes around none of them are able to hold off their tiredness. Not even Stiles who's now face down on the edge of Derek's bed with his head resting on his good arm, fast asleep. The others are all sprawled out around the room on top of couches, thanks to Scott who knew there was spare couches in the basement. Still Stiles doesn't know how they managed to carry all the couches up the stairs and into Derek's room without being caught.

The Sheriff quietly walks back into the room after dealing with all the paper work and statements back at the station. He smiles noticing everyone's finally fallen asleep as he closes the door behind himself gently.

"Dad?" Stiles whispers, his voice sounding sleepy as he lifts his head in the direction of the door.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." His father responds taking a seat on the plastic chair next to him.

"It's okay. I wasn't having the best of dreams anyway." Stiles replies rubbing his eyes trying to wake himself up and the Sheriff sighs. "How'd all the stuff go at the station?"

"Kate's surviving two men are in jail. Nobody is getting charged for the death of her other two men or for the death of Kate. It was done out of self defence and I ordered Parrish and Chris to shoot so they aren't getting in trouble. I told the Deputies that you'll give your statement once Derek wakes up." His father explains and Stiles nods in relief turning back to Derek rubbing his thumb on the back of Derek's hand. He didn't deserve this, the things Kate did to him... nobody deserves it.

"I can't stop thinking about it dad." Stiles admits wiping his eyes as tears threaten to spill from them.

"What do you remember?" His dad asks in a soft voice next to him.

"The Jeep crashing into the tree. Then waking up tied to a different tree and that's when Kate started torturing Derek. The things she did to him... I've seen movies less violent! And then the bullet. It happened like it was in slow motion but I couldn't do anything. And when Derek was lying on the ground dying it just happened so fast. I couldn't stop it and my brain just keeps replying that over and over." Stiles answers closing his eyes for a few seconds to calm himself down.

"And now you're wondering why you have the right to sit here while Derek is lying there?" His father asks and Stiles just nods looking back down at Derek, hating the deep purple and red bruises on his face. "Blaming yourself isn't going to help you get through this and it's not going to help Derek. It wasn't your fault, none of it was and you're both gonna need each other to get through the next few months." His dad replies and Stiles nods with a slight smile knowing his dad is right. His dad always knows what to say.

"Can I tell you something?" Stiles asks glancing around making sure the others were still asleep before turning to his dad who nods. "Kate had a video on her phone that she showed Derek while he was tied up..." Stiles begins to explain but then stops not wanting to talk about the details, feeling as though it's not his story to tell. 

"What was the video?" The Sheriff asks, his tone changing from soft and calm to serious in a split second.

"The Hale house burning. She took a video of it specifically for Derek. I couldn't see the phone screen clearly but she recorded his family tied up in the basement. Then it showed Gerard pouring petrol all over the house and then the whole house burning." Stiles explains looking down at Derek's unconscious face.

"Crap." His father mutters shaking his head. "Did he watch it all?"

"He didn't have a choice, Kate's man had a gun to my head." Stiles replies turning back to his dad who sighs.

"You said it was her phone. Where is her phone? It wasn't on her body otherwise it would have been taken into lock up for evidence." The Sheriff says and Stiles shrugs his shoulders, he thought Kate put the phone back in her pocket but maybe she didn't.

"I took her phone." Chris says softly trying not to wake the others as he sits up straight on his single couch. "I needed to figure something out."

"What did you need to figure out?" The Sheriff asks looking across the room at the other man.

"Kate told me that Gerard died, I needed to make sure she wasn't lying. Turns out she was, I got his number from her phone and used a pay phone to call it and he answered." Chris explains taking a phone out his pocket throwing it to the Sheriff.

"Gerard is alive? Will he come after us and Derek?" Stiles quickly questions and Chris shakes his head.

"He never cared about his children, he just cared about his business. He won't be coming to get revenge or anything like that as long as we stay out of his business." Chris reassures.

"Are you going to hand the phone in for evidence?" Stiles asks as his father stares at the phone in his hand before shaking his head. 

"I think that's Derek's decision." The Sheriff responds putting the phone in the top pocket of his uniform.


	32. Chapter 32

There's a faint beeping sound in the background followed by what sounds like rain hitting a window. Everything else was dead quiet. He must be asleep, but what's the beeping noise and why does it smell like disinfectant and cleaning agents? Derek thinks as he slowly begins to open his eyes.

Everything's blurry at first, his head still foggy from the nightmare he just had about Kate. He blinks a few times trying to get his eyes to focus as he realises he's definitely not in the hut or the farm house. He turns his head to the right in confusion as his eyes land on a heart rate monitor and a bunch of other machines. He looks down at his body in shock, he's wearing a hospital gown with an IV needle in this arm. Why is he in the hospital? What the hell happened?

He glances around the room in panic as his eyes land on a bunch of familiar bodies all spread out on various couches. Scott and Allison are asleep in each other's arms on the far right couch. Parrish is lying down on the three seater lounge with Lydia next to him, both of them also asleep. Isaac was leaning back in a recliner couch with a pillow... why does he get a pillow and the others don't? Derek thinks as he glances over at Boyd and Erica who are asleep on some sort of fold out mattress couch. He smiles softly at the scene in front of him when he feels something move to his left. He turns his head to find Stiles fast asleep with his head on his arm that's resting on the side of the bed.

Derek watches him for a few minutes, still trying to work out why on Earth he's in a hospital when suddenly it all clicks. It wasn't a nightmare. It was real. Kate found him. All of it actually happened...

"S-Stiles." Derek says his voice coming out a mere broken whisper as he puts his hand on top of Stiles'. He gently moves his thumb over the back of his hand in circles until Stiles finally to stir lifting his head up and his eyes go wide seeing Derek. "Hey." Derek says softly his voice still rough but a little bit better.

"Hey." Stiles replies in a sleepy tone as a few tears escape his eyes. "God I missed you. How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

"I'm fine... b-but what happened? Did Kate really find us and do what she did?" Derek asks being mindful of how loud he talks not wanting to wake the others up.

"Derek, I am so sorry, she did. But she's dead now, she can't hurt you or anyone. She's gone." Stiles replies and Derek just nods slowly trying to process the information.

After a few seconds he lifts his arm ignoring the sharp pain it causes. He has to find out if Kate actually did what she did on his arm. He lifts up the sleeve of his left arm revealing a bandage.

"Derek." Stiles warns knowing what he's about to do as he lifts the bandage up and his heart drops seeing Kate's initials carved into his skin from the knife. It's covered in stitches but it still clearly reads 'KA'

"So it all happened." Derek comments looking back at Stiles who nods giving him a sympathetic smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fantastic compared to you. My wrist is broken and I had a minor concussion." Stiles replies holding up his cast and Derek suddenly feels guilty for dragging Stiles into this mess. "Hey, no. I know that look and none of this was your fault. It's all on Kate, not you."

"Do you still love me?" Derek asks and Stiles nods leaning forward kissing him gently.

"Of course I still love you." Stiles replies as the sound of a door opening fills the air. They both turn towards the door to find Chris and the Sheriff walking in quietly with cups of coffee on trays.

"You're awake! Thank God." The Sheriff sighs placing the tray on the table making a loud bang snapping everyone awake.

"Oh my God, Derek!" Erica's voice shouts in happiness followed by a bunch of murmurs from the others as they all get up to greet to him.

"It's so good to see you alive man." Scott sighs unable to hide his grin. "I'm gonna go get my mum and tell her you're awake."

-

"Your vitals are looking right on track. Your blood pressure is still a little low but you lost a lot of blood so that's to be expected." Melissa says and Derek nods glancing over to Stiles who takes his hand for comfort. "It's a miracle that you are alive Derek. You had a bullet stuck in your heart and your heart stopped twice in the ambulance when we were bringing you here. The surgeon got the bullet out and stitched everything back up. They also stitched up multiple cuts along your chest and stomach, some cuts were pretty deep but luckily not all of them. Your right knee however, that's not so lucky. You fractured it months ago but whatever Kate did made it worse and now your knee cap is completely shattered and it didn't help that we had to fish a bullet out of it as well. Derek, I'm sorry but the chances of you walking on it again without the help of a crutch or a walking stick is pretty slim." Melissa explains and Stiles feels Derek's whole body tense after hearing that. Derek is one of the most active and outdoors kinda guy he knows, he knew this information wasn't gonna end well.

"But there's a chance that I can?" Derek asks sitting up on the bed slightly and Melissa nods. "Then that's all the information I need." Derek replies and Stiles squeezes his hand gently giving him a sad smile.

"How long until he can get out of here?" The Sheriff asks glancing from Derek back to Melissa.

"He just had a major heart surgery so we need to keep him here for a few days to make sure he's okay. But I'd say you'll be home before New Year. Call me if any of you need anything." She says and they nod their thanks as she leaves the room.

They all sit in silence for a few minutes, Derek lying back down on his bed as the others sit on the couches, still completely exhausted.

"What time is it?" Derek asks softly turning his head to Stiles sitting next to him who looks up at the unexpected question.

"Seven p.m. I think, I'm not too sure my phone went flat a few hours ago. Dad what's the time?" Stiles asks looking over his shoulder to his father who's leaning against the wall checking his watch.

"7:30pm." The Sheriff responds and Derek nods slightly. "Stiles, can I talk to you for a minute?" His father asks and Stiles nods giving Derek a gentle kiss on the forehead before he follows his dad outside the room shutting the door behind himself.

"What did you want to talk about?" Stiles asks leading against the wall looking at his dad.

"Derek needs to give his statement as soon as possible and I need to ask him whether he wants to hand in that video as evidence or not." The Sheriff explains and Stiles sighs shaking his head.

"Not yet. I know he seems calm and relaxed about what just happened but I know Derek. He's just trying to act calm in front of the others. The shit Kate put him through... Dad you saw his body afterwards and that's just the physical effects. He's not ready to give a statement and relive what just happened." Stiles says and his father nods with a sad smile.

"I know kiddo. I've been trying to delay it for as long as I can." His dad says and Stiles nods.

"At least give him until the morning?" Stiles half asks with worried eyes and his dad nods before pulling him into a hug.

"You should go home, get some rest. You've been here for over 14 hours with barely any sleep." The Sheriff says but Stiles shakes his head as he pulls away.

"I'm not leaving Derek, I will chain myself to his bed if I have to." Stiles responds and his dad just nods knowing there's no point arguing with him as the two of them walk back into the room.

Allison was already asleep leaning on Scott's side, on the couch while the others all look very close to doing the same. While Isaac was sitting on the floor leaning against the far wall as he fiddles with the tv remote trying to find something decent to watch.

Stiles walks in quietly as the Sheriff closes the door softly not wanting to wake Allison as Chris stands up walking towards him. Stiles doesn't bother to try listen to their whispers, more focused on his boyfriend in front of him.

"How are you feeling?" Stiles asks softly leaning against the side of the bed as Derek turns in his direction.

"I'm fine." Derek replies as he sits himself up a bit with the help of Stiles.

"You don't have to put on a brave face in front of me, Der. Please, I want to help." Stiles replies softly but Derek shakes his head turning away slightly staring at the wall in front of him and Stiles sighs.

"You kids should go home, get some rest." Chris suddenly says looking around at the group on the couches.

"We're not kids." Erica responds sitting up on the couch next to Lydia.

"You're all younger than thirty so to us you're all kids." The Sheriff's answers and Chris nods.

"I'm not going home, that's a 40 minute drive, if something happens here I don't want to be nearly an hours drive away." Parrish says from the corner couch and Boyd nods in agreement.

"All of you can stay the night with us, I have two spare bedrooms and the rest of you can sleep in the lounge room. We're only three minutes from the hospital and that way you all can stay together." Chris explains and Stiles smiles at the kindness of Chris who knows none of them would want to be alone after what happened.

"Can we stop by the car park on Main Street on the way? Our vehicles are still parked there." Boyd says and Chris nods as he walks towards Allison picking her sleeping form up allowing Scott to get up. They all say goodbye to Derek, Stiles and the Sheriff and say that they'll be back as soon as visiting hours start in the morning.

A few hours go by in silence. Stiles sits on the seat next to Derek's bed only moving when he needed to go to the toilet. The Sheriff comes in and out of the room, busy getting all the paperwork done and closing off the crime scene on his own farm. He looks exhausted but he promised Stiles he will crash at the Argents soon for some sleep.

Stiles on the other hand refused to sleep until Derek did. But by the time the clock ticked over to nine at night he couldn't keep his eyes open. Derek barely spoke during those few hours and Stiles didn't push him. He knows Derek will eventually open up about what he is feeling. He opened up about his feelings and about his family even before the two of them became a couple so Stiles knows Derek will talk when he's ready. He just hopes it's soon. Because he knows all of this is really hurting Derek on the inside, having Kate come back. Torturing him, blaming him for everything and bringing up old horrid memories that Derek's spent years trying to forget. He can't keep all this bottled up inside him, it won't end well.

\-------

Stiles wakes with a gasp jolting up in his seat. It's not real. Derek isn't dead. We're in the hospital and everything is fine, Stiles tells himself as he rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands trying to forget about the nightmare. He sits up higher in the chair, stretching his arms when he hears Derek tossing and turning in the bed next to him. Stiles quickly turns on the lamp looking in Derek's direction to find him in the middle of a nightmare. He's gripping the side of his bed with his fists with cold sweat dripping off his forehead.

Without hesitation Stiles stands up from his chair leaning over Derek grabbing his shoulders, being careful of the bullet wound on his chest.

"Derek, wake up." Stiles says softly shaking his boyfriends shoulders, noticing the slight red patch sleeping through his hospital gown from all the moving he was doing. "Derek!" Stiles shouts a little louder than he intends as Derek suddenly sits up gasping for air looking around the room frantically.

"Kate. S-She's here." Derek says in panic, his breathing becoming sharp and short as his eyes scan the room quickly. Suddenly Stiles realises that Derek thinks his nightmare was real.

"Derek. She's gone. She's dead. You're in the hospital, everything is fine." Stiles quickly says noticing the sudden panic Derek is in but his breathing doesn't slow down. "Der, look at me. Breath in with me alright? Breath in. Hold it. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Good, now out slowly. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. There you go, good. Now again, slowly." Stiles repeats trying to calm Derek down who does as he says breathing in and out slowly as he looks around in confusion.

He's sitting up on a hospital bed with Stiles standing right next to him. His tired eyes watching him like a hawk as he continues to repeat the same mantra calming Derek down slowly. After nearly five minutes Dereks breathing goes back to normal but Stiles can still see the sweat glistening on his forehead and the way his fingers are trembling as he grips the sheets of the bed.

"What... what happened?" Derek asks in a croaky voice, his eyes finally meeting Stiles' for the first time.

"You had a nightmare which turned into a panic attack once you woke up. Far out, I'm close to having one as well. Are you alright?" Stiles asks letting out a deep breath, relaxing a little knowing Derek is fully with it now.

"Fuck... I- I don't know." Derek mumbles closing his eyes for a few seconds trying to get himself together. He lets out a shaky breath as Stiles' hand grabs his own.

"Is this okay?" Stiles asks softly and Derek nods as he squeezes Stiles' hand.

"How'd you know?... How'd you know to stop a panic attack like that?" Derek asks after a few minutes and Stiles smiles, happy Derek is starting a conversation.

"My dad use to say those exact words to me whenever I got a panic attack. He said my mother taught him what to do, she was always good at helping people." Stiles replies with a sad smile as he kisses the back of Derek's hand.

"My Mum use to say the exact same thing too." Derek responds sitting himself up higher against the pillows as he winces slightly letting go of Stiles' hand to grab his chest.

"You we're moving a lot in your sleep, you might have busted the stitches." Stiles comments worriedly noticing more blood on Derek's gown. "I'll go get a nurse." Stiles says turning towards the door

"No... Just... not yet." Derek quickly says holding Stiles' hand tighter who nods taking a seat next to Derek.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Stiles asks quietly brushing his thumb in circles over the back of Derek's hand.

"About what just happened or about what Kate did the other day?" Derek questions looking down at their hands.

"Both?" Stiles replies with a soft smile and Derek sighs.

"I don't know what you want me to say. Kate found me, like I knew she would and I put you and your whole family in danger. You could have died Stiles... if you d-died..." Derek stutters stopping mid sentence as tears being welling up in eyes. "Fuck." He whispers closing his eyes bringing his hands to his face.

Stiles has never seen Derek like this. He's usually the strong one out of all of them, he's always the one who remains calm so the others didn't have to. Finally Stiles is starting to see everything Derek has kept in, everything Derek has pushed down and bottled up over the years.

"Hey, look at me." Stiles says grabbing Derek's arm gently to get the mans attention. "I'm okay and I'm alive, all thanks to you. You copped everything from Kate so I didn't have to and if it wasn't for you, that bullet would have hit me. This is not your fault Der, you saved my life."

"I guess that just makes us even then." Derek replies with a soft smile. That smile, he's missed seeing that smile on Derek's face.

"How does that make us even? I still owe you for saving my ass after the snake bite." Stiles responds with a grin and Derek half chuckles causing Stiles to smile.

"Because you took me in when I didn't have anyone. Nobody wanted anything to do with me unless it was to patch their fence or fix their tractor. But you were curious about me and at the time it was annoying but you kept asking questions and made sure that I was okay. Nobody has ever done that for me, not since the fire. You gave me a home. Gave me something to fight for. Gave me a family. I owe you everything." Derek answers as he looks down with a soft smile.

"I definitely made the right choice back then, because I can't imagine my life without you." Stiles replies leaning forward as he places his hand on Derek's cheek, wiping away a stray tear. "I love you Derek. I love you so much and I know right now you are hurting, who wouldn't be in this situation? But you will get through this, we will get through this. I know it seems impossible at the moment and you probably want to punch me for saying it, I get it. But I'm gonna be here for you through it all and I know the others will too. We're basically a pack and we look after each other."

"What if I can't get through it? It took me five years to stop having nightmares every night after the fire and even then they didn't stop! I don't know what to do Stiles and the cuts over my stomach and chest... there's no way they won't leave scars all over my upper body and her initials... fuck I nearly forgot about that." Derek curses shaking his head.

"Breath Der, it's okay, I know. You were tortured by a physotic bitch, there is no need to be ashamed of that or try hide the scars. They don't make you any less of man or define who you are because to me you are the most amazing and attractive man I know, no scar or anything will ever change that." Stiles says sternly as he intertwines their fingers. "There's not much you can do about her initials though, I am so sorry. Maybe once the wound has healed you can get a cover tattoo over it or something? I don't know, just an idea." Stiles adds shrugging his shoulder as Derek looks up at him.

"I like the tattoo idea." Derek says softly, a smile slowly appearing on his face. "You are way to good for me."

Stiles grins leaning closer to Derek before letting his lips to do the talking. He cups Derek's face with his hands, despite it being slightly difficult with a cast on. Before he knew it Stiles was lying on Derek's bed, being careful of all the cuts and stitches on his boyfriend and making sure he doesn't bump his knee as they make out.

"Tell me to stop if it hurts to much." Stiles says softly pulling away slightly and Derek just nods pulling Stiles closer before kissing him again.

-

"You guys awake?" The Sheriff's voice calls as he opens the door, stopping immediately when he sees Stiles and Derek lying together on the hospital bed.

"Stiles." Derek mutters nudging his boyfriend as he looks at the Sheriff not sure what to say to the older man.

"I'm up!" Stiles suddenly shouts sitting up quickly in surprise bumping Derek's knee with his foot in the process. "Shit! I'm so sorry."

"It's fine." Derek replies wincing slightly at the sudden pain it caused. He looks back to the Sheriff as Stiles climbs off the bed stretching.

It isn't the first time the Sheriff has walked in on them while they have been lying together in bed and it probably won't be the last.

"Well I brought coffee and breakfast, figured you guys might need it." The Sheriff finally says walking into the room placing the food and coffee on the small table.

"I'm starving!" Stiles comments as he walks over to the table. "Derek, do you want the ham and cheese or turkey sandwich?" He asks over his shoulder.

"Not hungry, but thanks Sheriff." Derek replies nodding his thanks to the older man.

They sit in silence for the next ten minutes, Stiles quickly eating while Derek watches happy that he's getting food into his body. The Sheriff sits on one of the couches drinking his coffee as someone knocks on the door.

They look over towards the entrance as Chris walks in shutting the door behind him.

"The others were all asleep, I didn't want to wake them. I figured they could use an extra few hours sleep." Chris says and they nod as he takes a seat on another couch. "How are you feeling Derek?"

"Better than yesterday." He simply replies from his seated position on the bed. He wants to try walk around the room but he knows after having a heart surgery and with his knee how it is, it's probably best to stay off his leg for a while.

"Look Derek, I know I said this months ago but I need to say it again. I'm sorry, I didn't do anything to stop Kate and Gerard years ago and for what Kate did the other night. I should have known what her plan was and I should have pulled the trigger on her the moment I saw her with the gun at you guys. I guess there was some part of me that hoped she'll listen me but the sister I once knew was gone once she set the fire six years ago. I'm sorry, Derek." Chris suddenly admits looking away from Derek.

"I don't blame you for this, for any of it. I know you couldn't do anything about the fire, you had to protect Allison and I understand that. And what happened the other day was out of your control, Kate had her mind set, there was nothing you could have done. Don't blame yourself, nobody else does." Derek replies with soft smile and Chris nods, relief evident on his face.

A few hours ago go by, Stiles gets informed that his Jeep has been towed to Ethan and Aidan's mechanics shop to get repaired after the crash. Also the Sheriff has taken Laura's Camaro out of evidence lock up and it's now parked in one of the sheds on the farm, knowing how much the car meant to Derek.

"I'd hate to bring this up but we need to talk about the video Kate showed you on her phone, Derek." The Sheriff suddenly says changing the topic and Derek's head snaps around to the Sheriff after hearing what he said. "I haven't watched it, but I think it would be really good to use as evidence against Kate even though she's dead it might help put Gerard behind bars." The Sheriff adds but Derek shakes his head.

"Get rid of the phone, delete the video. I don't want to use it as evidence for anything." Derek responds sternly looking at the Sheriff on the couch across the room.

"Why not?" Stiles asks, confused on why Derek doesn't want to help put Gerard in jail.

"Watch the video, Sheriff. Then you'll understand." Derek replies not bothering to answer Stiles' question as he looks at the Sheriff who sighs pulling Kate's phone out his pocket.

After a few seconds Kate's voice echoes through the phone as the Sheriff quickly turns the volume off, eyes glued to the screen. Stiles grabs Derek's hand, noticing how tense he got after hearing her voice. He rubs his thumb in calming motions over the back of Derek's hand, instantly relaxing the other man.

"Derek, this video is enough to put Gerard away alone! It shows him pouring the fuel and lighting the fire. You need to hand this in." The Sheriff comments pausing the video looking over to Derek who shakes his head.

"No. If you keep watching the camera gets pointed towards the Argents car and inside that car you can clearly see Chris sitting in it. If I hand in that video it won't just put Gerard behind bars, it will put Chris in there too." Derek responds and Chris sighs putting his head in his hands on the other couch. "He didn't start the fire but he was a witness and they will charge him because he never told the police about it."

"Crap." The Sheriff mutters putting the phone away, in defeat. "What about Gerard?"

"He needs to be punished for what he did to you and your family, Derek." Chris suddenly says but again Derek shakes his head.

"Then you will be sent to jail, leaving Allison alone without her father, without any family. I know what that's like and I won't let that happen to her." Derek replies as he runs his fingers through his hair trying to calm himself. "Gerard will eventually get caught by the police for illegally selling silver and gold over the boarder. And even if he doesn't get caught by the cops it's only a matter of time before someone across the boarder kills him."

"Are you sure?" The Sheriff asks and Derek nods.

"Get rid of the phone." Derek orders sternly as Stiles squeezes his hand that he didn't even notice was shaking so much. Just thinking about that video makes Derek want to be sick. He wants the phone to be gone, that way it all stays in the past and then maybe he can start to move on. He wants to move forward from his past. He needs to move forward. He knows he does but he's spent so many years stuck in the past, fearing what comes next. He doesn't know where to even begin to get his life back on track.

"Once I get rid of the phone there's no going back-" The Sheriff begins to say and Derek just shakes his head. He knows the Sheriff is just trying to help him and make sure he's making the right decision but he just wants all this stop, he can't take it anymore.

"Kate's dead! She can't hurt anyone or take away the people I love anymore! She's gone but I am never going to forget what she has done and I have a permanent reminder of that!" Derek shouts lifting up the sleeve on his left arm to reveal her initials carved into his skin covered in stitches. "I don't want to spend anymore time thinking about this or her! The phone goes and that's the end of the conversation." Derek adds his voice trembles at the end as he fights back tears in his eyes. He just wants it to be over. Kate may be dead but the things she did will haunt and live with him for the rest of his life.

"Hey Der, it's going to be okay, alright? Everything will be fine." Stiles whispers as he wraps his good arm around Derek's shoulders pulling him in into a hug. Letting Derek for the first time in probably six years be vulnerable as he cries into Stiles' shoulder. All his emotions of the past events suddenly hitting him like a freight train, leaving him unable to hold it all back. Stiles knows exactly what's going on and hugs Derek tighter trying to stop the man from shaking. "Its going to be okay." Stiles murmurs softly and Derek believes him.


	33. Chapter 34

***18 months later ***

"Hey! Derek! We need a bit of help." Scott shouts from the other side of the cattle yards. Him and Boyd are trying shuffle three heifers back through the gate they just jumped out of and aren't having much luck in moving the stubborn cows.

"I leave you alone with the cattle for five seconds." Derek mutters rolling his eyes with a grin as he climbs the fence to join them. He rubs his knee for a few seconds trying to dull the ache that spiked from the jump, shaking off Scott's look of concern. It's a miracle that he can even walk without a crutch or walking stick after what happened. So getting the occasional pain in his knee is a small price to pay. He doesn't mind, he's just grateful he can walk even if it's with a rather noticeable limp, at least he can walk and do everything he could before.

"Open that gate and we'll push them through it. That will lead to the other pen which is where they are meant to be anyway." Derek orders pointing to the gate and pen as him and Scott begin moving the three heifers as Boyd opens the gate.

"You come in handy sometimes, Hale." Boyd replies as he latches the gate to the pen. In the mean time Stiles, Parrish and Ace finish herding the rest of the cattle through the other gate ready to be loaded on Isaac's semi.

"At least I'm useful for something." Derek replies with a shrug as they walk towards Isaac's truck.

"You're also good eye candy!" Stiles comments jumping down from the loading ramp landing next to Derek who raises his eyebrows. "Relax, you know I'm joking. You're probably the most useful guy on the farm since our other farmhands are morons. But also you're good eye candy." Stiles adds grabbing the side of Derek's neck pulling him in for a kiss as Ace barks jumping up at the two of them.

"Even the dog agrees! Get a room." Scott complains with a laugh as they reach the truck.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with McCall on that." Isaac responds climbing down from the drivers side of the semi.

"You guys are just jealous." Stiles responds kissing Derek again who doesn't complain. He cups Stiles' cheeks kissing him passionately, ignoring the gagging sounds coming from the farmhands.

"You are the same when you're around Allison and I have no doubt I'm the same around Erica. Leave the love birds alone, they are literally relationship goals, you should be taking notes." Boyd finally says causing Derek and Stiles to smile brightly.

"Thank you." Derek replies grasping Boyd's shoulder who nods with a smile as they begin loading the cattle into the semi-truck.

"What time is your party, Stiles?" Isaac suddenly asks as he closes the back door of the truck when the last heifer walks in.

"At four, down by the lake and bring your own alcohol. I ain't paying for everyone's drinks." Stiles replies and Isaac nods.

"Speaking of that we should probably go help your Dad set up all the chairs and lights." Scott says and Stiles nods.

"I'm gonna go take a shower first so I don't smell like cow shit. Wanna join me Der?" Stiles asks glancing over at Derek who was shaking his head with a smile.

"There's a shotgun in the back of every vehicle on the farm. If I ever say no to that question, I want you to use one of them on me." Derek replies grabbing Stiles' hand as they begin walking towards the farm house.

"Seriously guys?! You're so gross." Scott shouts as Stiles flips him off behind his back with a grin.

-

By the time four o'clock rolled around the guys had their utes ( + Erica and her Toyota Prado) all reversed up to the side of the lake. They all had the tailgates down with their towels hanging off the edge with their coolers filled with beer and whisky sitting on top for easy access.

They had lights set up around the front part of the lake for later in the evening when it's dark and had the barbecue set up next to the farm ute with fresh meat in the portable fridge.

Erica and Lydia brought over a dozen different inflatable pool toys. Including a mattress that can hold three people lying down and multiple different animal seats to float around on and beach balls.

Derek made the famous lemon cheesecake which Stiles still can't believe tastes exactly like his mother's. While Melissa brought over Scott's old portable speaker so they could have music while swimming and chilling by the lake.

The lake hasn't been full of water on Stiles' birthday for years. He's mainly stuck to parties at the bar since he could never have a pool party. But this year is special, it's his 21st, he's celebrating it with everyone and the lake actually has water in it!

"Hey, where'd Stiles disappear to?" Melissa questions looking over at the Sheriff as the two of them sit on old wooden bench seats ten or so metres from the water.

"He said he needed to grab something from the house." The Sheriff replies cracking open a beer as he hands a new one to Chris who's leaning against the side of the wooden seat.

"Derek! Come and join us!" Parrish shouts from the water as he tips Scott off the inflatable flamingo so he could sit on it himself.

"I'm waiting for Stiles, then I will." Derek calls back unable to hold his laughter as Allison throws one of the beach balls at Parrish hitting him right in the face.

"Hey! Careful! Don't hit our drinks, they're sitting on the edge of the jetty or dock or whatever you wanna call the wooden platform." Lydia warns as Erica swims over to the dock before skulling the last of her drink so nobody could spill it.

"Hey." Stiles' voice says softly as a familiar hand touches Derek's shoulder.

"Hey." Derek replies leaning back against the Camaro as he gives Stiles a kiss.

"There's a letter here for you." Stiles suddenly says in a soft tone as he holds out a white envelope. Derek looks at the paper in Stiles' hand with confusion before taking it.

"Who from?" Derek asks looking up at Stiles who gives him a warm smile.

"I'll be over with the others." Stiles replies without answering the question. Derek watches as Stiles walks down towards the water before looking down at the envelope in his hand. He instantly recognises the hand writing as Stiles' mum, Claudia, having seen it written on stuff in the farm house and on cards in Stiles' room.

He stares at the cursive writing on the envelope _'To The Lucky One'_ He glances over towards Stiles who was now floating on top of the blown up mattress while trying to splash Isaac.

He takes a deep breath looking down at the envelope. He opens it slowly, pulling out the piece of paper, unfolding it carefully when a small photograph falls out. He quickly picks it up before it could blow away and turns it over to see what the photo is and his heart stops when he gets a good look at it.

He stares at the photo for a good two minutes unable to comprehend what he's seeing. That is Stiles' mother!

That woman in the picture, Claudia, is Stiles' mother... Memories and images flash through his mind as he tries to make sense of everything, how could he only be putting all this together now? Stiles' mother and his mother use to best friends! He remembers Claudia coming over a couple times a year, he would have only been young not even ten, but he can remember her so clearly.

She use to help him with his maths homework when his mother was busy helping Cora. Claudia even helped calm him down out of a panic attack after a rather stressful and anxious day at school, he still remembers that clear as day... that's how Stiles knew how to calm panic attacks by saying the same things because Claudia taught the Sheriff.

He remembers helping his mother teach Claudia how to make their homemade lemon cheesecake... the cheesecake! That's why Stiles kept saying it tastes like his mothers because she would have made the exact same ones! Everything is suddenly coming into the light. Stiles did say once that his mother use to visit Beacon Valley to see her friends... and he didn't even think to ask the name of her friend. Talia and Claudia we're friends. Stiles' mother and his mother use to be best friends. He has met Claudia, he got to meet Stiles' mother before she passed away... holy shit.

Derek sits himself down on the ground leaning against the back tyre of the Camaro as he tries and fails to process all this information. After another couple minutes he eventually gets himself together, before taking in the neat cursive hand writing on the letter before reading it.

_'To the person my son has fallen in love with,_

_If you're reading this then it must be true. He loves you. Beyond a shadow of a doubt otherwise he wouldn't have given this to you. I know it must feel odd reading these words, please trust me when I say that it feels just as odd to write them. There is so much I want to tell you, so much I want to say, it's just hard to find the right words, so bare with me._

_I'm so glad he's found you. I only wish I could be there to meet you or see you in person. Maybe somehow I am or already have, I really hope that's the case._   
_Besides my son and my amazing husband, you are the most important person in the world to me. If you love Stiles then love him forever. Make him laugh. Hold him when he cries. Stand up for him and teach him that life isn't all bad._

_By the time you are reading this, Stiles would have went through some pretty traumatic stuff. I was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia a month before writing this so I've had time to do my own research about it. During my research the one thing I kept reading was how badly it impacts the persons loved ones and that alone scares the hell out of me. I know my boys will have friends around them to help them through it like Melissa McCall_ _._ _I know_ _she_ _will make sure my son and husband get through it._   
_Stiles and John are both strong and as stubborn as each other which you have probably already learnt by now. I guess in all honesty I know they'll be able to move forward, it will take time and it won't be easy but they are strong enough to do it. It's me who isn't. I know I shouldn't but I find myself dwelling on the fact that I won't be able to see my baby boy grow up or watch him graduate or help him on his wedding day._   
_But the thought of you, it gives me hope. Hope that Stiles gets to experience what it's like to feel young and in love. Hope that my husband remembers what it's like to feel happy and has someone to lean on when things get tough. Hope that the farm will continue to grow. I hope one day my family can be whole again. Most of all I hope that somehow I'm there with all of you, watching over all of you._   
_Claudia Stilinski.'_

As Derek finishes reading the letter and wipes his eyes trying to get rid of the tears that threaten to escape. He looks back down at Claudia's letter thinking about the words and how much she trusted him with Stiles, without knowing it was him.

He sits there quietly against his car staring at the photograph of Claudia and Stiles. All these years living at the Stilinski farm he has never had a close look at any of her photos until now and slowly things are beginning to make sense.

He gently puts the letter back into the envelope with shaky hands, after a couple attempts. He takes a few more seconds to compose himself as he walks towards the Sheriff who's still sitting on the wooden seat.

"Sheriff, can I talk to you?" Derek asks as he reaches his side. From a single look by Melissa she gives him a sympathetic smile before pulling Chris away to give the two of them privacy.

"Stiles told me last night he was going to give a certain letter to you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." Derek replies rubbing his eyes as he takes a deep breath holding out the photograph so the Sheriff could see. "This was in the envelope... your wife... that's your wife?" Derek asks knowing how stupid the question is.

"Yes, that's Claudia." The Sheriff answers with a smile staring at the photo.

"She. Claudia. She was one of my mothers old friends from school..." Derek begins saying before stopping himself trying to find the right words. "She use to come to our house a couple times a year to catch up with her. They would go on horse rides around the property. Claudia actually helped teach Laura how to ride... no wonder the way Stiles' riding form seems familiar! Holy shit, she would talk about her son a lot but I never knew it was Stiles! Or that she was your wife. Everything is making so much sense, our mothers knew each other, I knew Claudia.." Derek quickly explains staring at the photo in the Sheriff's hands still in complete shock.

"Derek, take a deep breath and sit down." The Sheriff says and Derek nods taking a seat next to him before he realises the Sheriff doesn't seem surprised by this information.

"Wait. You knew about all this, didn't you? You knew my family. How long have you know?" Derek suddenly asks unsure whether to be angry that the Sheriff didn't tell him or not. He turns to the Sheriff who sighs giving him an apologetic look.

"When you first rocked up to my farm... that day you were unconscious in Stiles' bed, you looked so much like your mother. I hadn't seen your mother for nearly 12 years, I thought I was just imagining it. I knew about the fire and what happened to your family so it couldn't have been true. But then I found out your name was Derek and well the impossible suddenly become possible." The Sheriff explains and Derek nods slowly still trying to process the whole thing.

"Is that why you let me stay and offered me work?" Derek asks and the Sheriff nods.

"The last time I saw you, you were barely three years old, no wonder you didn't remember me. But Claudia would go visit your mother at least once a year while I stayed on the farm and looked after Stiles. Claudia would always talk about you and your older sister Laura. She would always talk about how well mannered and behaved you were and how you were always asking if she needed help with anything, she thought you two were absolute angels. She wanted to introduce you and Stiles together when you two got slightly older to see if you'll become friends but then of course her diagnosis and everything changed." The Sheriff explains with a sad smile. "I trusted what my wife told me about you. You may have been a little boy back then but when I first saw you all grown up and once I started talking to you, I could see some of the features Claudia use to tell me about. So I hired you and you have never made me regret that or even second guess my decision."

"Oh my God... Does Stiles know?" Derek mumbles staring at the ground in complete and utter shock... If it wasn't for Claudia then he probably wouldn't have gotten this job at the Stilinski farm, which means he would still be living on the run, which means he would have never gotten to know Stiles and Kate would have no doubt killed him. Stiles' mother saved his life...

"No he doesn't. Look I know you may be angry that I never told you any of this. Perhaps I should have told you straight from the start, I don't know. It wasn't my story to tell but I'm really glad you remember her." The Sheriff admits and Derek shakes his head before pulling the Sheriff in for an unexpected hug.

"Thank you for being honest with me and thank you for trusting Claudia about me. If it wasn't for the two of you, I would most likely be dead. I would have never had the chance to get to know Stiles and I can't imagine my life without him." Derek says as he pulls away and the Sheriff smiles.

"Speaking of Stiles, he keeps looking over here at us with a worried expression. Go over to your boyfriend and make him have a great birthday." The Sheriff says handing Derek the photo back with a smile. Derek nods in return before walking back towards the Camaro putting the envelope away safely.

He closes the car door, turning around to find Stiles walking towards him. Derek could tell he was worried by the way he was slightly biting his lip and how he was fiddling with the string on his swimming shorts.

"Is everything okay?" Stiles asks in a nervous tone. Derek doesn't respond straight away too busy admiring Stiles' sculptured body before pulling him for a kiss.

"Everything is better than okay. Also remind me tonight to tell you something." Derek replies smiling at the sceptical look he gets from Stiles.

"Are you guys done making out? Get in the lake and join us!" Isaac shouts taking a sip of his beer before swimming back out into the water to join the crew.

Stiles rolls his eyes turning back to Derek who has a half uncertain expression on his face. "What's wrong?" Stiles asks sudden worry evident in his voice and Derek shakes his head.

"Nothing's wrong, it's just...." Derek tries to say losing his words as he automatically rubs his shoulder over Kate's initials which is now covered with a tattoo. It wasn't a big tattoo, just a simple image of a wolf howling at the moon but he loved it.

Stiles looks down at Derek's hand over the tattoo and sighs realising what Derek is afraid of. He knows the others haven't seen the scares over his upper body, not since Christmas Eve when it all happened.

"Your scars are nothing to be ashamed of, Der. None of them are going to judge you for it, you know that?" Stiles asks softly grabbing Derek's hand who nods.

"I know but..." Derek mumbles unable to finish his sentence.

"You're self conscious about the scares." Stiles answers for him and Derek nods again looking down at the ground. "Well you shouldn't be it doesn't change anything about you. Even underneath the scars it's easy to tell that you have the most ripped and toned body on the farm! Which I don't even know how since you never take your shirt off, but trust me your morning workouts are worth it." Stiles responds with a grin and Derek rolls his eyes unable to hide his smile. "Come on, lets go have fun." Stiles says and Derek nods letting Stiles pull him towards the lake.

"About damn time, Hale." Erica says with a smile watching as Derek and Stiles reach the wooden dock.

"And now the rest of us are going to look bad compared Derek. We need to workout more." Scott comments as Derek pulls his tank top off exposing all the rough pink scares over his upper body. He stands there hesitant for a couple seconds before Stiles grabs his hand for support, instantly making him relax. The two of them jump into the water swimming straight to the floating mattress.

"Hey, speak for yourself." Parrish responds standing up in the shallow water showing off his abs causing Lydia to roll her eyes pulling him back down into the water.

"Parrish, I love you but Derek's abs are a lot more toned than yours." Lydia replies patting her boyfriend on the shoulder causing Isaac and Boyd to crack up laughing.

"Water bomb!" Scott's voice suddenly shouts and before either Derek or Stiles could react Scott jumps into the water right next to them causing the mattress to flip as the fall off in fits of laughter.

"You've done it now McCall!" Stiles shouts between laughs as he grabs one of the beach balls and throws it at Scott. He quickly ducks below the water just in time as the ball flys past him and hits Boyd right in the face. "Oh shit, Derek help!" Stiles shouts swimming behind him as Derek stands up rolling his eyes at the childlike behaviour between friends.

"Really? You're using your boyfriend as a human shield?" Allison teases and Stiles nods shamelessly causing everyone to lose it laughing.

Stiles looks around at his group of friends, everyone smiling and laughing and for the first time since that horrible Christmas he honestly feels happy and he can sense Derek feels the same.

This time last year nobody was laughing and they were barely smiling. Last year on his 20th everyone, especially Derek, were still trying to cope and recover from the events of Christmas which only happened seven months prior. Nobody was really in a celebrating mood. Back then Stiles was getting less than six hours of sleep per night due to nightmares and he knew by fact that Derek barely slept at all for those first eight to ten months after.

Kate had managed to reopen every wound Derek has been trying to cover and she managed to carve new horrendous ones into him as well. But now nearly 18 months later they have made a lot of progress. Stiles is sleeping most nights only waking once or twice from nightmares which is a huge step in the right direction. Although, Derek still can't sleep by himself, he has Stiles who sleeps with him every night. It makes him feel safe and Stiles calms him down whenever he screams himself awake at night.

They both know there's still many mountains to climb before things start to go back to normal. They may not be there quite yet but they have each other and that's all they need for the long journey ahead.

***THE END***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally months of writing, researching and editing has come to an end. Thank you guys so much for reading this and for sticking it out for all these chapters. This is by far the longest fic I have ever written and most challenging.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed it, if you did please leave a comment or something so I know. It makes my day hearing that somebody out there actually enjoyed my writing.   
> If any of you watch The Walking Dead then my newest fic I am working on will interest you. I am writing a Daryl Dixon x Reader fic atm based in Season 2, I have nearly finished this fic and plan on writing a second one based in the later seasons around the Negan era. I have already been posted a few chapters so please check it out :) 
> 
> Hope you all have a great day and until next time, stay safe everyone xxx


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